Evaluating the Above-Ground Carbon Storage of Urban Trees on University of British Columbia Vancouver Campus

Previous studies have established that urban forests provide a wide range of ecosystem services, including air purification, temperature regulation, and carbon sequestration. However, precise estimation of urban tree carbon storage remains a key challenge for effective urban forest management and planning.

In this work, we expand on this body of work by investigating the carbon storage of trees on the UBC Vancouver Campus using 2018 Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data sourced from the City of Vancouver. The aim was to determine the total carbon storage and the average carbon density of the campus. Tree height and structure were estimated using an existing model, which facilitated the calculation of individual tree biomass and carbon storage based on the LiDAR data.