San Diego’s urban forest, 2017

Abstract

A 2017 analysis of the urban forest in San Diego, California, reveals that this area has an estimated 4.9 million live trees across all ownerships. The most common tree species by number are Chinese banyan, arroyo willow, Japanese cheesewood, Aleppo pine, and pygmy date palm. Trees in San Diego are estimated to store about 289,000 tons of carbon (1.1 million tons of carbon dioxide [CO2]) valued at $49.3 million. In addition, it is estimated that these trees remove about 34,600 tons of carbon per year (or 127,000 tons CO2 per year, valued at $5.9 million per year, an amount roughly equivalent to the annual emissions associated with 24,891 passenger vehicles or energy usage by 13,295 homes [https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator]) and about 421 tons of air pollution per year (valued at $3.9 million per year). San Diego’s urban forest is estimated to reduce annual energy costs of residential buildings by $3.5 million per year. The overall compensatory value of the urban forest is estimated at $4.7 billion. Compensatory value describes the replacement value of trees as a structural asset, which tends to increase with tree size and health. The information presented in this report can be used to support urban forest management programs and to inform policy and planning to improve environmental quality and human health in San Diego. The analysis also provides a basis for monitoring changes in the urban forest over time.

Citation

Baer, Kathryn C.; Nowak, David J.; Brandeis, Thomas J.; Dooley, Kerry; Hellman, Kurt; Henning, Jason; Herrick, Christina; Hoehn, Robert E., III; Jennings, Katie; Lepine, Lucie, C.; Lister, Tonya W.; Majewsky, Mark; Owen, Suzanne; Sonti, Nancy F.; Schanning, Sjana; Zehnder, Rebekah J. 2024. San Diego’s urban forest, 2017. Resource Bulletin NRS-134. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 95 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-RB-134.