Species diversity of four major urban forest types under extreme climate conditions in Erzurum, Turkey

Abstract

Plants in open green spaces play a vital role in environmental and aesthetic improvement of cities. Such spaces can improve the quality of life in cities, such as Erzurum, which are under severe social and physical stress due to the prevalent harsh climatic conditions. The objective of this study was to identify the woody plant species and their frequency and amenity functions in four urban forest types in Erzurum. A total of 33,381 woody plants (72.3% trees, 27.7% shrubs) were examined: 44.9% in the grounds of public institutions; 30.8% along roadsides; 14.8% in city parks; and 9.5% in home gardens. Overall, 73 woody plant species were identified. Pinus sylvestris was the most frequent tree, followed by Betula verrucosa, Acer negundo and Fraxinus americana; while among the shrubs, Ribes aureum was most frequent, followed by Spirea vanhouttei, Rosa canina and Syringa vulgaris. Institutional grounds had the largest diversity and number of woody plants, followed by home gardens, city parks and roadsides. The majority (83.3%) of trees were deciduous species. The identified species belong to 24 families: 15 tree families and 12 shrub families. While dominant trees were evenly divided between native and exotic species, 71% of dominant shrub species were exotic.