You might not have thought twice about the thicket at street’s end or that cluster of trees growing wild on the corner, but they make a difference in controlling stormwater runoff, according to a University of Maryland-led study.
The study published in the Journal of Environmental Management was based on analysis of urban green spaces in Baltimore. It found that regardless of their sizes, swatches of forest are about as effective at absorbing rainfall as built green infrastructure features like rain gardens, retention areas planted with grasses and perennials that help rain soak into the ground.
Although smaller patches of unmanaged green space aren’t often a major focus from a conservation perspective, urban forests curb pollution, runoff, and nutrient damage to the surrounding waterways feeding into the Chesapeake Bay, the study said.
“The protection and expansion of forest patches can make substantial contributions to stormwater mitigation,” the researchers wrote.
Continue reading at University of Maryland.
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