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Urban forest structure, ecosystem services and change in Syracuse, NY

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Abstract

The tree population within the City of Syracuse was assessed using a random sampling of plots in 1999, 2001 and 2009 to determine how the population and the ecosystem services these trees provide have changed over time. Ecosystem services and values for carbon sequestration, air pollution removal and changes in building energy use were derived using the i-Tree Eco model. In addition, photo interpretation of aerial images was used to determine changes in tree cover between the mid-1990s and 2009. Between the mid-1990s and 2003, tree cover in Syracuse exhibited a decline from 27.5 to 25.9 %, but subsequently increased to 26.9 % by 2009. The total tree population exhibited a similar pattern, dropping from 881,000 trees in 1999 to 862,000 in 2001, and then increasing to 1,087,000 trees in 2009. Most of this increase in the urban tree population is due to invasive or pioneer trees species, particularly Rhamnus cathartica, which has more than tripled in population between 2001 and 2009. Insects such as gypsy moth and emerald ash borer pose a substantial risk to altering future urban forest composition. The annual ecosystem services provided by the urban forest in relation to carbon sequestration, air pollution removal and reduction in building energy use are estimated at about $2.4 million per year. An improved understanding of urban forests and how they are changing can facilitate better management plans to sustain ecosystem services and desired forest structure for future generations.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this project was provided, in part, by the National Science Foundation (NSF grant BCS-0948952) through the Syracuse Urban Long-term Research Area Exploratory Award (ULTRA-Ex). The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this article is for the information and convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service of any product or service to the exclusion of others that may be suitable. We thank Jack Stevens for his valuable assistance in data analysis, John Stanovick for his statistical assistance and review, and Noel Schneeberger and Myrna Hall for their comments on a draft manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 5 Moon Library, SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA

    David J. Nowak, Robert E. Hoehn & Eric J. Greenfield

  2. Davey Institute, 5 Moon Library, SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA

    Allison R. Bodine

  3. The Rubenstein School, Aiken Center, University of Vermont, Spatial Analysis Laboratory, 81 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA

    Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne

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  1. David J. Nowak
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  2. Robert E. Hoehn
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  3. Allison R. Bodine
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  4. Eric J. Greenfield
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  5. Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne
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Correspondence to David J. Nowak.

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Nowak, D.J., Hoehn, R.E., Bodine, A.R. et al. Urban forest structure, ecosystem services and change in Syracuse, NY. Urban Ecosyst 19, 1455–1477 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-013-0326-z

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