Disservices of urban trees (original) (raw)

Urban trees provide various benefits but they are also a source of various types of harm and nuisance. This chapter argues for the recognition of these ecosystem disservices and discusses ways to assess them. It presents a review highlighting the wide scope of disservices, including health effects, physical damage to infrastructure, emissions influencing air quality, unexpected economic costs, and social and psychological factors related to urban forests as places of fear or inconvenience. Different kinds of disservice may be produced by urban trees depending on their location, growth phase and the intensity of maintenance. Moreover, different disservices may be perceived as relevant depending on the knowledge base, attitudes and expectations of the people making the valuation. In some cases, concerns related to disservices may be amplified and exaggerated by the news media and social media debates. In turn, this may increase the risk of misplaced management actions. A balanced and comprehensive assessment of both ecosystem services and disservices provided by urban trees is needed for successful urban green management.

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