University of Maryland researchers have done new research and found out that urban trees have a greater role in mitigating stormwater flows. Trees lined up on a street or planted in a park have a significant role in lessening stormwater flows.
Researchers found out that individually planted trees capture, store and release stormwater back into the atmosphere. Researchers calls this process “transpiration”.
This research will help to explore how trees function in different urban contexts. This knowledge will help the management of green infrastructure to calculate stormwater in municipalities.
The team of researchers have experienced transpiration of trees in three different urban places. One is single trees over turfgrass in Montgomery County. Other is a cluster of trees over turfgrass in Montgomery County, and another is a closed canopy forest in Baltimore.
The team has used sap flux sensors to understand how trees access groundwater. They have installed these sensors in 18 mature red maple trees. Scientists kept on monitoring the transpiration of the trees during their growing season. They have also measured soil water content, temperature of air and relative humidity of all the three places they have chosen.
Researchers believe that their findings will serve as a guideline to manage urban stormwater runoff.
