Identification and distributing characteristics of urban forest notable trees.

Abstract

The research is aimed to expand the scope of urban trees protection, promote urban residents' more rational understanding and appreciation of trees, and encourage their active participation in and promotion of urban forest construction. Selecting the main city area of Hefei as the research site, the research tried to identify the notable trees. The evaluations of index system and identification methods were established:historical witness and social culture were selected as the qualitative indicators; tree age and vitality, tree weight, tree species, site location, and aesthetic value were selected as 5 first-level quantitative indicators, and tree height, DBH, crown width, color and etc. were selected as 12 secondary quantitative indicators. The notable trees can be defined as the urban trees with rich historical and cultural connotations and aesthetic value, or with the features such as large size, beautiful shape, important or eye-catching position, rare species, public concern and popularity. Totally 112 trees were identified as notable trees in the main urban area of Hefei City, belonging to 23 species, 23 genera and 18 families. The number was five times more than the registered ancient and famous trees, which could be considered an effective complement to the ancient and famous trees. Among the identified notable trees, there were some differences in the characteristics such as tree species distribution, tree age structure, DBH distribution, spatial distribution, evergreen deciduous ratio and so on. It provided a new idea and suggestion on maintaining urban ecological balance and biodiversity, expanding the protection and research of the individual resources of the trees in the city.