San Antonio’s Urban Forest, 2018
| Authors: | Thomas Brandeis, Kerry Dooley, Rebekah J. Zehnder, Katie Jennings, Tonya Lister, Mark Majewsky, Gretchen Riley, Annie Hermansen, Robert Hoehn |
| Year: | 2024 |
| Type: | Resource Bulletin |
| Station: | Southern Research Station |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.2737/SRS-RB-243 |
| Source: | Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station |
Abstract
An analysis of the urban forest in the city and extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) of San Antonio, TX revealed that this area had an estimated 137.8 million live trees across all ownerships. The most common tree species were Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei), Texas persimmon (Diospyros texana), mescal bean (Sophora secundiflora), sugarberry (Celtis laevigata), and honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa). Trees in San Antonio were estimated to store about 3.5 million tons of carbon (12.8 million tons of carbon dioxide [CO2]), valued at $594.4 million. In addition, these trees were estimated to remove about 320,059 tons of carbon from the atmosphere per year (1.2 million tons of CO2 per year, valued at $54.5 million per year, which is roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of 253,383 passenger vehicles or energy usage by 138,837 homes). San Antonio’s trees also removed about 6,565 tons of air pollution per year (valued at $61.9 million per year). San Antonio’s urban forest was estimated to reduce annual energy costs of residential buildings by $22.4 million per year. These trees also provided an estimated 382 million cubic feet of avoided stormwater runoff, valued at $25.5 million per year. The overall compensatory value (the replacement value of trees as a structural asset, which tends to increase with tree size and health) of the urban forest was estimated at $33.1 billion. The information presented in this bulletin can be used to support urban forest management programs and inform policy and planning to improve environmental quality and human health in San Antonio. The analysis also provides a basis for monitoring changes in the urban forest over time.