Urban Street Trees and Green Infrastructure
Municipal street trees are trees in the public right-of-way and are a key part of public green infrastructure in many cities. Street trees provide benefits that promote sustainability and help alleviate environmental problems.
Urban areas often experience higher temperatures than their surrounding areas, due to the urban heat island effect. Street trees can help combat this problem by providing shade and decreasing building energy use.
Additionally, trees can help cities control stormwater runoff because their leaves, stems, and roots slow rain from reaching the ground and capture and store rainfall to be released later.
Street trees can provide other benefits such as:
- improved air quality
- carbon storage
- reduced noise
- aesthetic values
Related Links
- Municipal Street Structure and Ecosystem Services Fact Sheet (2 pp, 641 K, About PDF)
- Around the Water Cooler: Street Trees: More than Meets the Eye