Large trees are keystone structures in urban parks

Stagoll, Karen; Lindenmayer, David B.; Knight, Emma; Fischer, Joern; Manning, Adrian D.

doi:10.1111/j.1755-263x.2011.00216.x

Cited by 213 publications

(129 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Native ecosystems commonly remain or have been rehabilitated within and around Australian cities (Newton et al 2001;Bekessy et al 2012), and while many fauna species have declined or become extinct within these areas (Piper and Catterall 2003;Catterall 2009), many populations of native forest birds, mammals and plants still persist (Brady et al 2011;Moxham and Turner 2011;Shanahan et al 2011a, b;Daniels and Kirkpatrick 2012;Stagoll et al 2012). Thus, tree cover and remnant vegetation cover provide measures respectively of the greenness and the ecological value of parks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What is the role of trees and remnant vegetation in attracting people to urban parks?

et al. 2014

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Public parks commonly contain important habitat for urban biodiversity, and they also provide recreation opportunities for urban residents. However, the extent to which dual outcomes for recreation and conservation can be achieved in the same spaces remains unclear. We examine whether greater levels of (i) tree cover (i.e. park 'greenness') and (ii) native remnant vegetation cover (i.e. vegetation with high ecological value) attract or deter park visitors. This study is based on the park visitation behaviour of 670 survey respondents in Brisbane, Australia, detailing 1,090 individual visits to 324 urban parks. We first examined the presence of any clear revealed preferences for visiting parks with higher or lower levels of tree cover or remnant vegetation cover. We then examined the differences between each park visited by respondents and the park closest to their home, and used linear mixed models to identify socio-demographic groups who are more likely to travel further to visit parks with greater tree cover or remnant vegetation cover. Park visitation rates reflected the availability of parks, suggesting that people do not preferentially visit parks with greater vegetation cover despite the potential for improved nature-based experiences and greater wellbeing benefits. However, we discovered that people with a greater orientation towards nature (measured using the nature relatedness scale) tend to travel further for more vegetated parks. Our results suggest that to enhance recreational benefits from ecologically valuable spaces a range of social or educational interventions are required to enhance people's connection to nature.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What is the role of trees and remnant vegetation in attracting people to urban parks?

et al. 2014

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“…The presence of treecovered spaces in a city provides birds with shelter and foraging sites; consequently, they are an important place where urban bird populations congregate (Lancaster and Rees 1979;Stagoll et al 2012). The density and heights of trees and shrubs are factors favouring high numbers of birds (Tilghman 1987).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To date, the habitat factors governing wintering bird assemblages have not been well researched, while the urban effect as having an influence on the overwintering of birds has been overlooked altogether. Of prime importance to the species composition of breeding birds are the maturity and type of greenery (White et al 2005;Palomino and Carrascal 2006;Stagoll et al 2012), the size and fragmentation of habitats, as well as the degree to which an area is built up (Fernández-Juricic and Jokimäki 2001;Crooks 2004;Palomino and Carrascal 2006). The few papers dealing with the wintering period state only the following variables as influencing the species composition: habitat composition and geographical location (Tryjanowski et al 2015c), type of buildings (Jokimäki and KaisanlahtiJokimäki 2012), density of bird-feeders (Tryjanowski et al 2015b), density of buildings, density and height of trees and shrubs, length of woodland margin and distance to water and railway lines (Tilghman 1987).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The richness of the breeding bird community in towns and cities is shaped by a set of habitat factors that includes the types of buildings, the maturity of urban greenery, the number and size of trees, as well as the diversity, patch size, fragmentation and spatial configuration of habitats (Crooks 2004;Palomino and Carrascal 2006;Stagoll et al 2012). Apart from these habitat factors, the urban bird community is affected by another set of factors that are consequent upon its existence and functioning, which we can call the urban effect.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Habitat type, food resources, noise and light pollution explain the species composition, abundance and stability of a winter bird assemblage in an urban environment

2016

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At present, urban areas cover almost 3% of the Earth's terrestrial area, and this proportion is constantly increasing. Although urbanization leads to a decline in biodiversity, at the same time it creates extensive habitats that are exploited by an assemblage of organisms, including birds. The species composition and density of birds nesting in towns and cities are determined by the types of buildings, the structure and maturity of urban greenery, and habitat diversity. In contrast, the habitat traits shaping the community of birds wintering in urban areas are not known. The aim of this work was to assess the influence of habitat structure, food resources and the urban effects (pollution, noise, artificial light) on an assemblage of birds overwintering in an urban area. It was carried out in 2014 and 2015 in the city of Kraków (southern Poland), on 56 randomly chosen sample plots, in which the composition, density and interseasonal similarity of bird assemblage were assessed with line transect method. A total of 64 bird species (mean = 17.7 ± 4.9 SD species/plot) was recorded. The mean density was 89.6 ind./km ±63.3 SD. The most numerous species were Great Tit Parus major, Magpie Pica pica, Blackbird Turdus merula, Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus, Rook Corvus frugilegus, Fieldfare Turdus pilaris and House Sparrow Passer domesticus. Noise adversely affected species numbers and density, but artificial light acted positively on the density of birds and their interseasonal stability. The species richness and density of birds were also determined by the number of food sources available (e.g. bird-feeders). In addition, the greater the proportion of open areas, the fewer species were recorded. In contrast, the more urban greenery there was, the greater the density of the entire bird assemblage. Urban infrastructure (buildings, roads, refuse tips) had a positive effect on the interseasonal stabilization of the species composition of wintering birds. The results of this work indicate that the urban effect, i.e. noise and light pollution, apart from purely habitat factors, provide a good explanation for the species richness, density and stability of bird assemblage wintering in urban areas.

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“…Trees, particularly large ones, are keystone structures in many ecosystems, including urban areas Stagoll et al 2012). In towns and cities, the abundance and nature of trees plays a major role in determining the structure and composition of faunal assemblages (Evans et al 2009;Stagoll et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

110 Years of Change in Urban Tree Stocks and Associated Carbon Storage

2016

Urban Forests

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Understanding the long-term dynamics of urban vegetation is essential in determining trends in the provision of key resources for biodiversity and ecosystem services and improving their management. Such studies are, however, extremely scarce due to the lack of suitable historical data. We use repeat historical photographs from the 1900s, 1950s, and 2010 to assess general trends in the quantity and size distributions of the tree stock in urban Sheffield and resultant aboveground carbon storage. Total tree numbers declined by a third from the 1900s to the 1950s, but increased by approximately 50% from the 1900s-2010, and by 100% from the 1950s-2010. Aboveground carbon storage in urban tree stocks had doubled by 2010 from the levels present in the 1900s and 1950s. The initial decrease occurred at a time when national and regional tree stocks were static and are likely to be driven by rebuilding following bombing of the urban area during the Second World War and by urban expansion. In 2010, trees greater than 10 m in height comprised just 8% of those present. The increases in total tree numbers are thus largely driven by smaller trees and are likely to be associated with urban tree planting programmes. Changes in tree stocks were not constant across the urban area but varied with the current intensity of urbanization. Increases from 1900 to 2010 in total tree stocks, and smaller sized trees, tended to be greatest in the most intensely urbanized areas. In contrast, the increases in the largest trees were more marked in areas with the most green space. These findings emphasize the importance of preserving larger fragments of urban green space to protect the oldest and largest trees that contribute disproportionately to carbon storage and other ecosystem services. Maintaining positive trends in urban tree stocks and associated ecosystem service provision will require continued investment in urban tree planting programmes in combination with additional measures, such as revisions to tree preservation orders, to increase the retention of such trees as they mature.

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Large trees are keystone structures in urban parks

Cited by 213 publications

References 37 publications

What is the role of trees and remnant vegetation in attracting people to urban parks?

What is the role of trees and remnant vegetation in attracting people to urban parks?

Habitat type, food resources, noise and light pollution explain the species composition, abundance and stability of a winter bird assemblage in an urban environment

110 Years of Change in Urban Tree Stocks and Associated Carbon Storage

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