PS 17-127
Characterizing changes in urban forest ecosystem services due to invasive insect eradication in Worcester, Massachusetts
The objective of this paper is to quantify gains and losses in urban forest ecosystem services following tree removal and subsequent replanting. Increasingly common threats to urban green space, such as invasive pest outbreak, new urban development, and severe weather events can rapidly change forest structure, reducing the ecosystem services that benefit urban residents. The Burncoat and Greendale neighborhoods of Worcester, MA were thickly tree-lined prior to the infestation of Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) (Anophlophora glabripennis). ALB eradication managers extensively removed host trees in the area and subsequently planted non-host trees from 2008 to 2012. Changes in ecosystem services resulting from tree loss and replanting are quantified in this study using tree removal and tree planting inventories and i-Tree Street software.
Results/Conclusions
Tree removal from 2008 to 2010 caused the loss of 8,593 trees, primarily large and medium broadleaf species trees with variable individual Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) sizes, equivalent to a loss of $503,140 in ecosystem services, defined as annual aesthetic, carbon storage and sequestration, air quality improvement, energy savings, and storm water reduction services. Tree planting from 2009 to 2012 consisted of 5,229 trees of higher species diversity and smaller DBH, providing a total annual ecosystem service value of $103,162 and replacing 21% of the lost ecosystem service value as of 2013. Future study will quantify the values of the replanting cohort 40 years post-replanting (year 2053) to compensate for age differences between removal and replanting cohorts.
The examination of changes in ecosystem services due to changing forest structures allow residents and other stakeholders to appreciate the value of local urban forest and enable forest managers to evaluate the impacts of management decisions. In addition, this study can serve as a case study for urban forest managers in cities experiencing major forest structural changes from natural and anthropogenic disturbances.