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Water sources for street trees in mesic urban environments
Ian A Smith1, Pamela H Templer2, Lucy R Hutyra1
1Boston University, Department of Earth & Environment, 685 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215, USA.
The Science of the Total Environment
|November 8, 2023
Summary
Street trees in mesic cities primarily use precipitation, not irrigation, for water. This reliance on rainfall may increase their vulnerability to drought as climate change intensifies.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Urban Ecology
- Plant Physiology
Background:
- Street trees are vital for urban climate resilience, offering benefits like urban heat mitigation and stormwater runoff attenuation.
- Understanding water sources for urban trees in mesic environments is crucial for effective urban forestry and climate adaptation strategies.
- Previous research has focused on water uptake in arid regions, leaving a knowledge gap for mesic city tree water sources.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the proportional sources of water utilized by Acer platanoides street trees in Boston, Massachusetts.
- To investigate the influence of precipitation events on street tree water uptake in a mesic urban ecosystem.
- To assess the implications of identified water sources for urban tree health and stormwater management under changing climate conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized natural abundance stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen to trace water sources.
- Employed Bayesian multisource mixing models to quantify water contributions from precipitation, irrigation, groundwater, and wastewater.
- Analyzed isotopic ratios in tree stem samples and compared them with potential water sources.
Main Results:
- Street trees predominantly utilized precipitation, accounting for 72.3% in August and 65.6% in September during a high-rainfall summer.
- A significant portion of utilized precipitation was traced back to major storm events, with July rainfall contributing up to 84.0%.
- Strong correlations were found between canopy cover and precipitation-driven evapotranspiration, supporting the role of urban trees in stormwater mitigation.
Conclusions:
- Urban street trees in mesic cities primarily rely on precipitation for their water needs.
- The current water sourcing strategy highlights the stormwater mitigation potential of urban vegetation.
- Increased drought frequency due to climate change poses a significant risk to the water security and health of these urban trees.
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