Trees are truly amazing organisms. They have adapted to all but the harshest of climates, and their lifespan can far exceed that of human. They are of extreme importance to the functioning of many different ecosystems including the systems that are present in urban and suburban areas. The environmental benefits that come with urban/suburban forests are extensive. Trees have been shown to remove pollutants from the atmosphere, and they are seen as an important potential resource for removing greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere. The canopy of urban trees can be important for slowing storm water and reducing runoff, and as we have all notice they provide cooling shade.

The list of environmental benefits that come with planting trees in urban areas is extensive, and because of this we narrowed our focus in our research. We modeled the potential for sequestering carbon in urban trees in Rhode Island. We also used aerial and satellite data to evaluate the urban heat island effect in Providence. This was then compared to the existing canopy cover in Providence. Finally, we looked at the potential for energy conservation through the appropriate planting of trees. The above three links will take you to the work that we completed.