The Effect of Urban Density on Tree Health
Group members: Tasneem Ibrahim, Suaad Alhababi, Morris Azrak
The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether urban density has an effect on the health of tree species, specifically the Thornless Honey Locust and the London Planetree.
According to “The New York City Street Tree Map” both species are abundant in both of our designated locations. This is of significant importance because it has many potential implications on how we can reduce our effect on trees and maintain a healthy ecological environment in our cities. Based on Ulrich Luttge, the urban environment creates arid conditions that greatly stresses the trees in its region. This is in addition to the increase in air pollution and microclimate changes that urban areas produce. Based on studies done by Macdonagh, P.L, trunk cankers (dead sections of the bark on trees) tend to serve as visual indicators of poor tree health. According to The Morton Arboretum, both tree species are tolerant with regards to environmental factors such as dry sites and occasional drought conditions.
Our aim was to figure out how many more trees- and possibly even which species- should be planted more within the city in order to drastically improve the overall health of the air and aid in carbon reduction.
