Carbon and economic benefits of urban trees in two Sydney transport corridor case studies

Trees in urban areas provide multiple local sustainability and climate change benefits. Roads as the movement arteries of cities are leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions from transport and impact different land uses along and around these networks. This paper estimates carbon sequestration and storage potential, air pollution reduction capability and associated economic benefits of urban trees using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) methods and i-Tree Eco v5.0. The research was conducted on selected sections of two transport corridor case studies along the Pacific Highway and Parramatta Road in Sydney, Australia. This research provided valuable information and evidence base on tree species, composition, characteristics and tree densities in these two Sydney case studies. Localities with larger trees were equipped with higher carbon sequestration potential and storage capacity. Variations in land use patterns can influence significantly urban forest compositions and subsequent carbon sequestration and storage potential and air pollution reduction capabilities of urban trees. This research established significant sustainability importance and ecosystem service benefits of urban trees. These outcomes could raise awareness for existing tree preservation and new tree planting and highlight the need for formulating meaningful planning policies for urban trees. The participation and building awareness of community and supports of government, private and other organisations would be essential in this process