Melbourne School of Land and Environment Green Infrastructure Research Group

Urban Street Trees

The carbon cost and benefit of Australian street trees

Urban street trees provide many important ecosystem services:

  1. shading and cooling,
  2. carbon sequestration,
  3. mental health and well-being,
  4. biodiversity and habitat provision, and
  5. pollution reduction.

A wide variety of native and exotic tree species of different sizes are grown in Australian streetscapes. Depending upon the growth environment (climate, soil type, rooting volume) different tree species require different nursery preparation, establishment support and ongoing maintenance. This brings with it different C costs, according for example to the chemicals used, or the pruning and watering needs. These C costs may eventually be offset by the C sequestered by that tree. This net carbon cost or benefit will vary according to: tree species growth rate, size, deciduous or evergreen and tree physiology (respiration rates, photosynthetic efficiency).

Working collaboratively with Melbourne Local Government Authorities (LGA), we will collate:

Additional inventory measurements and allometric relationships may be necessary to accurately estimate the biomass and C status for the majority of urban street trees. Sortware developed by the USDA Forest Service (Stratum and i-tree) will be used to store, process and assess tree carbon status and other environmental benefits.

LGA workers and nursery staff will be interviewed to determine the indirect C costs associated with establishment and maintenance of key street tree species. A cost-benefit life cycle assessment will be then performed to rank key urban street tree species according to their net C benefit (50 year) and to identify when, if at all, different tree species become a net C benefit.

[Photo: Plane trees on Swanston Street]

Plane trees along Melbourne’s iconic Swanston Street

Using STRATUM to estimate the benefits of Australian street trees

A Masters of Forest Ecosystem Science (MFES) student is undertaking a project to provide ‘proof of concept’ for the use of STRATUM as a means to quantify the environmental benefits that Australian urban street trees provide. Read More

Urban trees can reduce run-off through canopy interception & stem flow

Two third-year students of Environmental Horticulture at Burnley, are investigating canopy interception and stem flow of urban trees. Read More
Students taking measurements
of Eucalyptus Saligna
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