Species clustering, climate effects, and introduced species in 5 million city trees across 63 US cities

Sustainable cities depend on urban forests. City trees-pillars of urban forests-improve our health, clean the air, store CO2, and cool local temperatures. Comparatively less is known about city tree communities as ecosystems, particularly regarding spatial composition, species diversity, tree health, and the abundance of introduced species. Here, we assembled and standardized a new dataset of N = 5,660,237 trees from 63 of the largest US cities with detailed information on location, health, species, and whether a species is introduced or naturally occurring (i.e., native). We further designed new tools to analyze spatial clustering and the abundance of introduced species. We show that trees significantly cluster by species in 98% of cities, potentially increasing pest vulnerability (even in species-diverse cities). Further, introduced species significantly homogenize tree communities across cities, while naturally occurring trees (i.e., native trees) comprise 0.51-87.4% (median = 45.6%) of city tree populations. Introduced species are more common in drier cities, and climate also shapes tree species diversity across urban forests. Parks have greater tree species diversity than urban settings. Compared to past work which focused on canopy cover and species richness, we show the importance of analyzing spatial composition and introduced species in urban ecosystems (and we develop new tools and datasets to do so). Future work could analyze city trees alongside sociodemographic variables or bird, insect, and plant diversity (e.g., from citizen-science initiatives). With these tools, we may evaluate existing city trees in new, nuanced ways and design future plantings to maximize resistance to pests and climate change. We depend on city trees.

Automated summary

Sustainable cities rely on urban forests, with city trees playing a crucial role in improving health, air quality, and temperature regulation. However, little is known about urban tree communities as ecosystems, especially in terms of their spatial composition, species diversity, and the impact of introduced species. This study collected and analyzed data on over 5.6 million trees from 63 major US cities, revealing that trees tend to cluster by species and introduced species homogenize tree communities across cities. The study also found that native trees make up a significant portion of city tree populations and that climate influences tree species diversity in urban forests. These findings highlight the importance of analyzing spatial composition and introduced species in urban ecosystems and provide tools for future research in this area.