Urban Trees as Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Mitigation and Use

Abstract

Impervious surfaces in urban areas generate substantial volumes of polluted surface runoff, resulting in flooding and degradation of waterway ecosystems. Urban trees can help to mitigate the adverse effects of runoff by restoring key hydrological processes, including canopy interception, throughfall, stemflow, and transpiration. Understanding how trees contribute to these processes can guide tree species selection and the design of green infrastructure elements. Climate, specifically the distribution of precipitation and evaporative demand, will ultimately determine the extent to which trees contribute to each process. In general, canopy interception, throughfall, stemflow, and transpiration..