Incorporating Spectral Unmixing to Estimate Carbon Sequestration Changes in an Urban Forest Canopy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13112759 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael K Crosby (Louisiana Tech University, corresponding author), T Eric McConnell (0000-0002-3115-0891, Mississippi State University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 11 |
| Pages | 454-454 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Urban Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2413-8851 • E-ISSN: 2413-8851 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/urbansci9110454 |
| OpenAlex | W4415819403 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 27 |
The urban forest canopy provides critical ecosystem services, including carbon storage and sequestration. Healthy, well-managed trees in an urban setting can provide these services in a way comparable to forests managed for production or as nature preserves. Disturbance events threaten these benefits by reducing canopy cover and biomass. A tornado struck Ruston, Louisiana, on 25 April 2019, resulting in severe canopy damage through a swatch of the city. We used iTree Canopy to obtain estimates of ecosystem services (carbon sequestration, etc.) and converted this to a per-pixel value before interpolating for the study area. Fractional vegetation estimates obtained from spectral unmixing were obtained from pre- and post-tornado images using Sentinel-2 data and applied to weight damage. Pre- and post-tornado assessments revealed that Ruston’s urban forest canopy sequestered 85% of its pre-storm capability, with an estimated decline in social value of approximately $36,000. Assessing disturbance-based landscape changes, and subsequently calculating fractional changes in biomass and corresponding monetary impacts, will increasingly be looked to as ecosystem services and severe weather events are expected to become more commonplace in the future. The methodology employed demonstrates a cost-effective way to assess disturbance impacts in small urban areas, offering a framework to small municipalities to monitor canopy dynamics
Biomass (ecology · Canopy · Carbon sequestration · Disturbance (geology · Ecosystem · Ecosystem services · Tree canopy · Vegetation (pathology · Remote Sensing in Agriculture · Urban Green Space and Health · Urban Heat Island Mitigation
Tree and forest effects on air quality and human health in the United States
Carbon storage and sequestration by trees in urban and community areas of the United States
Gaps in the implementation of urban forest management plans across canadian cities
Managing urban trees through storms in three United States cities
Urban street tree characteristics and benefits in city centre, Reykjavik, Iceland
| Highly cited | No |
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