Brooklyn's urban forest

Abstract

An assessment of trees in Brooklyn, New York, reveal that this borough has approximately 610,000 trees with canopies that cover 11.4 percent of the area.The most common trees are estimated to be tree of heaven, white mulberry, black locust, Norway maple and black cherry.These trees currently store approximately 172,000 metric tons of carbon with an estimated value of $3.5 million.In addition, these trees remove about 2,500 tC per year ($51,000/yr) and about 254 metric tons of air pollution per year ($1.3 million/yr).The replacement or compensatory value of Brooklyn's trees is estimated at $679 million.Potential damage from an Asian longhorn beetle infestation is $390 million (51 percent of the population).Management strategies are suggested for maximizing air quality and carbon benefits from urban trees.