Ecosystem Services of Native and Non-Native Urban Trees

In 2013, North America’s 1st ‘sustainable’ landscaping rating system will be launched: the Sustainable

Sites Initiative (SITES: www.sustainablesites.org). A major component of this guideline is the

preference for native plants because they are assumed to provide greater ‘ecosystem services’ than

non-natives. However, to date no research has been conducted in North America that compares the

relative value of native and non-native urban trees, and as such data on this crucial aspect of SITES is

lacking. The research proposed here will obtain the 1st North American estimates on the relative value

of native and non-native urban tree in terms of three major ecosystem services: (1) pollination, (2) biocontrol,

and (3) habitat for biodiversity. The data resulting from this research will be of broad

applicability to North American sustainable landscaping initiatives, such as the SITES.

Faculty Supervisor:

Sandy Smith

Student:

Partner:

TreeFeed.ca

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Accelerate

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