title: Assessing the relationship among urban trees, nitrogen dioxide, and respiratory health.
abstract: Modeled atmospheric pollution removal by trees based on eddy flux, leaf, and chamber studies of relatively few species may not scale up to adequately assess landscape-level air pollution effects of the urban forest. A land use regression (LUR) model (R(2) = 0.70) based on NO2 measured at 144 sites in Portland, Oregon (USA), after controlling for roads, railroads, and elevation, estimated every 10 ha (20%) of tree canopy within 400 m of a site was associated with a 0.57 ppb decrease in NO2. Using BenMAP and a 200 m resolution NO2 model, we estimated that the NO2 reduction associated with trees in Portland could result in significantly fewer incidences of respiratory problems, providing a $7 million USD benefit annually. These in-situ urban measurements predict a significantly higher reduction of NO2 by urban trees than do existing models. Further studies are needed to maximize the potential of urban trees in improving air quality.
authors.affiliation: School of the Environment, Department of Environmental Science and Management, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA.
authors.forename: Meenakshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.affiliation: School of the Environment, Department of Environmental Science and Management, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA. Electronic address: georgeL@pdx.edu.
authors.forename: Linda A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: George
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA.
authors.forename: Todd N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Rosenstiel
authors.affiliation: Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA.
authors.forename: Vivek
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Shandas
authors.affiliation: Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA.
authors.forename: Alexis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dinno
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D009922:Oregon; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014197:Trees / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide
keywords: Health impacts; Land use regression; NO(2); Urban forest