TITLE:
Evaluating Structural and Temporal Factors Affecting Supply of Ecosystem Benefits in a University Urban Environment in South Carolina, USA
AUTHORS:
Puskar N. Khanal, Rajan Parajuli, Thomas J. Straka
KEYWORDS:
Sustainability, Urban Forest Structure, Ecosystem Services, i-Tree, Economic Benefits
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Forestry,
Vol.12 No.3,
June
15,
2022
ABSTRACT: Sustainable urban forest management is still an evolving concept,
particularly as it pertains to a sustainable supply of ecosystem benefits and
management planning. Urban forestry maintains a greater human dimension
component than traditional timber-oriented rural forestry because urban trees
grow in city centers and neighborhoods, supplying critical ecosystem benefits
to the population centers. The overall goal of this study was to evaluate the
relationship of urban forest stand structure and its temporal dynamics with the sustainable supply of ecosystem benefits in
university environments. Individual tree data were collected from a completed
inventory, while the i-Tree Eco model was used to generate ecosystem
benefits data from the Clemson urban forest. The cumulative-benefits supply
curve had an inverted J-shaped curve, but the average supply curve had a
negative slope against the species richness. Likewise, individual tree
variables total height, DBH, leaf area, and crown height strongly correlated
with the total ecosystem services supply. Based on the temporal supply trends,
the study area trees were broadly segmented into three groups: establishment,
growth, and legacy, with 65%, 31%, and 4% frequency
distribution, respectively. Urban forest managers need to identify forest
management goals and preferred ecosystem benefits among the urban communities
to guide the required forest structure and dynamics to ensure a sustainable and
functioning urban forest.