Objective

Investigate stress factors (especially the water supply) of urban trees, estimate the contribution of urban trees to carbon sequestration and provide decision-making tools for municipalities and cities to optimise the climate effectiveness of urban green space

Methodology

• Building models based on remote-sensing data to estimate the status quo of the contribution of urban green space to carbon sequestration, including an automated detection of damaged urban trees
• Modelling of tree vitality and risk categorisation based on vegetation indices, weather data, site conditions and information from the tree cadastres with machine learning methods
• Testing of a fluorometer-based stress analysis tool for urban trees
• Monitoring the actual water availability at tree sites and investigating root architecture in relation to water using non-destructive geophysical methods
• Applying ecohydrological measurements (e.g. tree sap flow, stem water contents and monitoring of soil moisture) and stable water isotope measurements to identify root water-uptake depths and soil water sources

Climate effect under consideration

Carbon sequestration in urban trees and climate-effective design of multifunctional, urban green infrastructures