Leeds4Trees

Leeds4Trees is a collaboration between LEAF, UBoC, and Leeds City Council that will increase our knowledge about the importance of trees and green spaces in urban areas.

Leeds currently has an average of around 17% tree canopy cover across the city, but this figure varies from less than 10% in some wards to almost 30% in others. Find out more about how we worked that out, and why we should be trying to double that figure, here.

i-Tree Leeds: Putting a Value on the City’s Trees

In collaboration with The Woodland Trust, Treeconomics, Forest Research and the Sustainability Service Living Lab Programme at the University of Leeds, we are investigating the economic value of trees and green spaces across the city of Leeds. We started with the trees on our very own University campus - visit the project page here to find out more.

Middleton Park Ward: Natural Capital valuation

Featuring more i-Tree work, we continue our Leeds-wide project in Middleton Park Ward. Here we have tested a range of natural capital valuation tools to estimate the environmental benefits provided by trees. The research draws upon a range of datasets and tools including i-Tree Canopy, i-Tree Eco, the Bluesky National Tree Map data, CAVAT, and a local questionnaire. Find out more about how we use these tools and the results of the research here.

Leeds Forest Observatory

The Leeds4Trees partnership has also seen the establishment of the Leeds Forest Observatory, an outdoor laboratory in public woodlands and a first for the UK. The LFO is located in Middleton Park in South Leeds and will enable researchers from the University of Leeds to examine the valuable ecosystem services provided by green spaces and woodlands. Scientists will measure the growth of the trees and how much carbon they store, record weather conditions and air quality in the park, and observe the different animals and birds living there. Visit the project page here to find out more.

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