Qualify the value of Trees: insights from the UoD Botanic Garden i-Tree Survey

    Activity: Other activity typesPublic engagement and outreach - work on advisory panels

    Description

    Summary of the Talk: Assessing and Communicating the Value of Trees - Insights from the UoD Botanic Garden i-Tree Survey

    The talk centered on the ecological, social, and economic benefits of trees, highlighting findings from the i-Tree survey conducted at the University of Dundee Botanic Garden. This pioneering project assessed the quantifiable value of the garden’s trees, providing a framework for communicating their significance to diverse audiences.

    Key themes included:

    Environmental Impact: Trees' role in carbon sequestration, air quality improvement, and biodiversity support was underscored. The survey revealed the garden’s trees annually sequester significant amounts of CO2 and intercept stormwater, reducing urban flooding risks.

    Economic Value: Quantitative data from the i-Tree survey illustrated the monetary worth of ecosystem services provided by trees, such as energy savings through shading and reductions in stormwater management costs.

    Cultural and Social Benefits: Beyond tangible metrics, trees contribute to mental well-being, aesthetic beauty, and heritage value, making them indispensable for community identity and resilience.

    Challenges and Advocacy: Communicating the value of trees effectively requires overcoming the perception of them as merely aesthetic assets. Strategies discussed included leveraging storytelling, data visualization, and public engagement to build broader support for urban forestry.

    Future Opportunities: The findings from this work provide critical insights to inform efforts at the Botanic Garden to build a more resilient tree collection. This collection can serve as a valuable resource for guiding wider landscape plantings beyond the garden’s boundaries—at the city campus level and across Dundee’s urban forest. Through collaboration, this work can help create a more resilient urban forest, better adapted to climate change, while promoting benefits for people and non-human biodiversity. As cities transition from grey to greener and bluer infrastructure, concepts like the urban arboretum and Nature-based Solutions are becoming integral to evidence-based future city planning.
    Period26 Jan 2025
    Degree of RecognitionLocal