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Trees improve air quality by removing pollutants from the air. This paper aimed to calculate air purification ecosystem services generated by the Asik Veysel Recreation Area which is the one of the largest urban parks in Izmir with a 23.10 ha area and a diverse tree vegetation representing 64 species both deciduous and evergreen trees. The air pollutant removal services of the trees were estimated by using i-Tree Eco model based on pollution concentration and meteorological data. The results revealed that the estimated annual removal rate in the study area is 247.20 kg; 213.75 kg 03, 1.93 kg NO2, 30.42 kg SO2 and 1.10 kg particulate matter (PM10). Although the effect of the trees in Asik Veysel on the air pollutants was small for the city atmosphere their contribution was higher than some other urban green areas of the city. It has been concluded that the study will provide valuable data for planners to establish urban green area management plans that will improve the air quality of the city and sustain human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban green infrastructure provides a wide variety of ecological, social, and economic benefits to urban dwellers. Understanding the dynamics of urban ecosystem services is essential for planning and managing the practice of urban green infrastructure. This paper aims to assess spatial distribution of urban green areas and calculate two regulating ecosystem services (carbon sequestration and runoff retention) generated by green infrastructure in Bornova, which is one of the metropolitan districts of the city of Izmir, Turkey. Results show that although almost 45% of the district is covered by components of the green infrastructure, they are mostly small and unevenly distributed in the current urban fabric with low connectivity. The total carbon sequestration capacity of the green infrastructure is estimated 8368.25 t year-1 and the total rate of runoff is predicted at 3,788,651.31 m3. It can be concluded that this finding implies that green infrastructure and ecosystem services need to be profoundly improved by adding new green spaces to the existing green infrastructure and providing linkages as well as increasing tree cover and creating retention and detention facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]