Parcel-based layout as a factor affecting the potential availability of ecosystem services provided by tree belts

Abstract

The intensification of agriculture decreases the availability of ecosystem services provided by nature, but agriculture may also be their supplier through landscape microforms called tree belts. Therefore, it is important to study the provision of ecosystem services by tree belts during the design process of tree belt networks. However, despite the rapid development of geoinformatic solutions and availability of large-scale input datasets, there remains a lack of comprehensive methods and tools for detailed assessments of ecosystem services from tree belts.The aim of this paper was to develop the first comprehensive methodology for assessing ecosystem services availability provided by parcel boundaries as potential tree belt sites. The methodology is enhanced by afforestation need mapping, delineating environmental threats that can be reduced by the presence of tree belts as a provider of specific ecosystem services. Two zones with different landscape structures were used to test the proposed concept. The results indicated the availability of ecosystem services depending on the parcel's location relative to different environmental factors. However, the final conclusion in two zones showed that the layout of parcel boundaries as ecosystem services providers did not always fulfill the delineated afforestation needs.