Review of the Available Literature and Data on the Runoff and Pollutant Removal Capabilities of Urban Trees

The Center for Watershed Protection reviewed a total of 159 publications to evaluate the research questions defined in the scope of this project: 1. What is the effectiveness of urban tree planting on reducing runoff, nutrient and sediment? 2. How does effectiveness vary by species, over time, with differences in planting sites (e.g., distance from impervious cover or other trees, soil conditions, geographic location) and with different maintenance strategies? For the purposes of this project, the term urban tree planting is defined as all tree planting in the urban environment that does not result in a forest-like condition. This includes trees that are planted with no special engineering to accept or treat runoff (e.g."