Contribution of Street Trees to Carbon Sequestration: A Case Study from Varanasi, India

Abstract

Street trees are a valuable resource for a city, because they lower ambient temperatures, mitigate urban heat island effects, reduce runoff of rainwater and the abundance of aerial particulate matter, add visual appeal to the urban landscape and store and sequester significant amount of carbon from the ambient CO2. In this paper, we have quantified carbon storage and sequestration by street trees in the campus of Banaras Hindu University located within a highly crowded city of India. Street trees in the BHU campus account for 9.8×107 kg stem biomass, and stored 4.6×107 kg carbon in the stems. By interpolating the electricity resource unit values campus street trees stored 7.3×107 KWH energy. These trees, of course, have to be properly managed for maintaining their vigour and function.