Assessment of ecosystem services provided by street trees: Burdur (Türkiye) city center

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to reveal at which level urban street trees in Burdur city center can accomplish ecosystem services (ES) regulation. Material and Methods: In this study, ecosystem benefits in physical terms are quantified by using a software called i-Tree Eco model developed by the USDA Forest Service. Besides tree characteristics and urban forest cover, air pollution reduction, carbon storage and sequestration, oxygen production, and avoided runoff are four regulating ES selected and studied. Results: As a result of the measurements made it was estimated that trees in Burdur city center remove 66.79 kilograms of air pollution per year and the gross sequestration of street trees was about 12.92 metric tons of carbon per year. Conclusion: Considering the data obtained as a result of this study, it can be stated that the species to t provide an advantage in terms of ecosystem services-pollution removal, carbon sequestration and storage, oxygen production, stormwater avoided-should be preferred to determine the tree species to be used in urban street afforestation.