Urban trees are one of the valuable storage in metropolitan areas. Nowadays, a particular attention is paid to the trees and spends million dollars per year to their maintenance. Trees are often subjected to abiotic factors, such as fungi, bacteria, and insects, which lead to decline mechanical strength and wood properties. The objective of this study was to determine the potential degradation of Elm tree wood by Phellinus pomaceus fungi, and Biscogniauxia mediteranae endophyte. Biological decay tests were done according to EN 113 standard and impact bending test in accordance with ASTM-D256-04 standard. The results indicated that with longer incubation time, weight loss increased for both sapwood and heartwood. Fungal deterioration leads to changes in the impact bending. In order to manage street trees, knowing tree characteristics is very important and should be regularly monitored and evaluated in order to identify defects in the trees.
Due to the gradual growth of urbanization in cities, urban forests can play an essential role in sequestering atmospheric carbon, trapping pollution, and providing recreational spaces and ecosystem services. However, in many developing countries, the areas of urban forests have sharply been declining due to the lack of conservation incentives. While many green city spaces have been on the decline in Thailand, most university campuses are primarily covered by trees and have been serving as urban forests. In this study, the carbon sequestration of the university campuses in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region was analyzed using geoinformatics technology, Sentinal-2 satellite data, and aerial drone photos. Seventeen campuses were selected as study areas, and the dendrometric parameters in the tree databases of two areas at Chulalongkorn University and Thammasat University were used for validation. The results showed that the weight average carbon stock density of the selected university campuses is 46.77 tons per hectare and that the total carbon stock and sequestration of the study area are 22,546.97 tons and 1402.78 tons per year, respectively. Many universities in Thailand have joined the Green University Initiative (UI) and UI GreenMetric ranking and have implemented several campus improvements while focusing on environmental concerns. Overall, the used methods in this study can be useful for university leaders and policymakers to obtain empirical evidence for developing carbon storage solutions and campus development strategies to realize green universities and urban sustainability.
Water scarcity, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, is a critical issue affecting forest management. This study investigates the effects of drought stress on the water requirement and morphological characteristics of two important tree species Turkish pine and Chinaberry. Using a factorial design, the study examines the impact of three age stages (one-year-old, three-year-old, and five-year-old plants) and three levels of drought stress on these species. Microlysimeters of varying sizes were employed to simulate different drought conditions. Soil moisture was monitored to show the effect of the various irrigation schedules. The study also calculated reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0) using the PMF-56 method and developed plant coefficients (Kc) for the species. Results showed that evapotranspiration increased with soil moisture, peaking during summer and decreasing in winter. Turkish pine exhibited higher plant ET than Chinaberry, particularly among one-year-old seedlings. Drought stress significantly reduced evapotranspiration and water uses for both species, highlighting the importance of efficient water management in afforestation projects. The findings underscore the necessity of selecting drought-resistant species and optimizing irrigation practices to enhance the sustainability of green spaces in arid regions. These insights are crucial for improving urban forestry management and mitigating the impacts of water scarcity in Iran and similar climates globally.
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