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How robust is the evidence for beneficial hydrological effects of urban tree planting?
Open accessAbstract
Sustainable urban water management initiatives are increasingly required to combat rapid urbanization and climate pressures. Initiatives include the role of tree planting, for which there is a need for strong evidence of benefits and drawbacks to support effective future planning. We report on the robustness of evidence from an assimilated database of urban hydrological impact studies which often had differing primary purposes. Consistent impacts were found at the local level, with trees reducing runoff and infiltration. Despite the consistency of evidence, much is undermined by the studies being somewhat lacking in robustness and scientific rigour. Many studies lack adequate controls, and models are often not strongly tested against observations. Moreover, evidence of impact at larger scales is lacking. Effects of tree characteristics were also investigated, such as maturity and species (for which evidence is consistent and detailed) and arrangement (for which there is less evidence). Realizing the full potential of trees in urban water management decision-making would benefit from more rigorous evidence.
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“Additionally, while urban trees and their role in climate adaptation and mitigation is commonly researched, there are disagreements over ways to maximize benefits especially regarding their spatial distribution and the scale of beneficial impacts (43).”
From Global synthesis and regional insights for mainstreaming urban nature-based solutions (2025) · cites this paper as [43]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Baker, H. J., Hutchins, M. G., & Miller, J. D.
- Affiliations
- Royal Holloway University of London (GB)
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Hutchins, Michael G.
- ORCID
- Hutchins, Michael G.
- Venue
- Hydrological Sciences Journal
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2021-06-11
- Volume
- 66
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1306-1320
- ISSN
- 0262-6667 (ISSN-L)
- 2150-3435
- OpenAlex
- W3159865331
- Cited by
- 29
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 5
- FWCI
- 1.62
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Hydrological Sciences Journal (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- NERC Open Research Archive (Natural Environment Research Council) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (cc-by)
- Funders
- Economic and Social Research Council (ES/T000244/1)
- Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (821016)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Urban Stormwater Management Solutions
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law › Urban Arborization and Environmental Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Urban Heat Island Mitigation
- Keywords
- urban tree planting, urban hydrology, urban water management, stormwater runoff, infiltration, study design quality, tree species, tree maturity, tree arrangement, urbanization
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