Air quality impact of an urban park over time

The Urban Forest Effects (UFORE) model, a computer model designed to use tree allometric, air pollution and meteorological data to statistically estimate urban forest characteristics and various urban forest functions, was applied to the main park in the city of Florence, Italy (Cascine Park), in 1985 and 2004, in order to study how the natural and man-made evolution of the park affected its ability to control air quality. Plant data were for both the years, while climate and pollutant data were for year 2004 only, in order to remove the variability due to changes in the atmospheric variables. The results show that the forest growth compensated the losses due to cuttings and damages by extreme climatic events, so that the overall amount of pollutants removed from the air did not change from 1985 to 2004 (72.4–69.0 kg/ha). In contrast, the amount of carbon storing and biogenic volatile organic compound emission decreased over time, because of a reduction in the number of large trees and of isoprene-emitting individuals, but the results were very variable plot by plot. The species were ranked according to their ability of controlling air quality. These data can be used as a decision tool for establishing cuttings and new plantings in urban planning and their effects on air quality under Mediterranean climate conditions.