Impact of urban canyons on the development of street trees

• Grant number: 24/23653-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany
• Principal Investigator: Giuliano Maselli Locosselli
• Grantee: Giulia Nunes de Aguiar Souto
• Host Institution: Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/08783-0 - Functional forests: biodiversity in the benefit of cities, AP.JP

Abstract

Cities are considered the epicenter of global climate change due to the direct and indirect impacts of anthropogenic activities. At the same time, they are among the most vulnerable environments due to the extensive use of gray infrastructure and high population density. Urban population growth is a global trend, to varying degrees, and verticalization has been one of the solutions to accommodate this growth. Verticalization results in urban canyons, confined environments with specific microclimatic conditions such as limited sunlight exposure, restricted air circulation, and reduced dissipation of atmospheric pollutants. These limitations can affect tree development and their role as one of the main tools for urban adaptation, thereby constraining the benefits of large-scale planting programs adopted by many cities worldwide. The impact of urban canyons on tree development across multiple cities remains an open question, requiring ambitious sampling efforts to address it. This study proposes to estimate the impact of this confined environment on the growth of trees from urban canyons compared to trees from green spaces, used as a control group. Wood samples from Tipuana tipu were previously collected along a global gradient of climate and urban demographics in cities such as Los Angeles (United States), Barcelona (Spain), Lisbon (Portugal), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Santiago (Chile), and São Paulo (Brazil). These samples will be used to estimate changes in current growth rates and ontogenetic growth patterns between these two urban microhabitats using growth ring width measurements. Through these analyses, the study aims to generate precise data on the impact of verticalization on tree growth, providing essential knowledge to support decision-making for urban forestry planning and resilience strategies.