An Assessment of Ecosystem Services of Urban Green Spaces Based on i-Tree.

Ecosystem services of urban green spaces play an important role in the sustainable development of the urban ecosystem. How to quantify the ecological benefits of urban green spaces and evaluate their ecological services is a hot topic in related fields. Currently, with the advancement of science and technology, the assessment method has been developed from the traditional ones such as the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers (CTLA) method, afforestation cost method, and carbon tax method to CITYgreen and i-Tree. The latter two models have been widely used in countries of Europe and America, while the use of i-Tree has not been promoted in China. In this paper, i-Tree Eco (UFORE) was selected for research, and its application in the assessment of the ecosystem services of urban green spaces, including energy saving, air quality improvement, interception of rainwater, and aesthetic benefits, were analyzed. This study aims to provide a theoretical and scientific basis for the introduction and localization of i-Tree, as well as its generalization in the assessment of forest ecosystem services domestically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]