The importance of urban vegetation in the carbon cycle and oxygen release

Abstract

Urban vegetation affects the environment in several ways. It improves air quality, the height of drainage water, and soil properties, balances temperature variations (temperatures are lower in summer and higher in winter in the presence of urban vegetation), reduces UV radiation, reduces noise, increases relative air humidity and contributes to certain types of social development (ecological, aesthetic, economic aspects of urban development). Urban vegetation especially improves microclimatic conditions in large cities and considerably contributes to the urban increase of oxygen. It is of vital interest to pay attention to its size and quantity in urban areas. To assess CO2 absorption and O2 release, the photosynthesis of five tree species and three types of herbaceous plants species was measured. The obtained results show that there is a certain variability in terms of the species that was analyzed. Thus, fast-growing woody deciduous species are more suitable due to the greater and faster growth of biomass, which requires a larger amount of CO2 compared to herbaceous species. The careful calculation indicates the requirement of two to four trees per person or 30-40 m2 of a grassy area per person to balance the inhabitant oxygen consumption. For the overall contribution of green vegetation, the multiple qualitative benefits of green areas in urban areas should certainly be considered.

Keywords

• urban vegetation
• carbon cycle
• oxygen release