Current Conditions
The area surveyed for the ecosystem services includes the area surveyed in the microclimate section, but it expands to include a greater part of North Campus and the adjacent properties. The boundary of this area is indicated by the blue line on the map. The yellow crosses indicate a small proportion of the 125 points that were surveyed to analyse the amounts of each cover class. These cover classes are included in the table below, and the percentage of each is indicate in the far right column. The current amount of tree canopy provides over $7,500 in savings each year by virtue of sequestering carbon and filtering out toxic elements from the air. An additional $150,000 are saved, though not annually, because of how much carbon dioxide is stored in the trees themselves. While these monetary values do not take into account aesthetic or other factors, it is relatively safe to say that the well-shaded, healthy canopies contribute to more comfortable conditions for humans and animals alike as they go about their daily business.
Tree canopy comprises the largest percentage of cover at nearly 41%, followed by roofing at nearly 22%. A great deal of surface is paved- these categories have been separated into road/sidewalk and parking lot, because the flexibility for changing the two surface covers is vastly different.
Potential for Improvements
Improvements can definitely be made to campus to increase its aesthetic value and extend ecosystem benefits. While roofing is the largest section behind tree cover, it is not particularly feasible or practical to try and turn North Campus buildings into green roofs given their various dates of construction, among other variables. Rather, since roads, sidewalks, and parking lot together cover a fairly large area, improvements can be made to those areas. Adding trees into the parking areas, particularly those located in the bottom right corner of the map above, would greatly reduce temperatures, improve air quality, add aesthetic value, and provide more habitat for native wildlife. There is little area left in North Campus proper, i.e. the Quad, for planting new trees unless old ones are replaced as they die out. The buildings are simply too close together, and some open space is necessary. At they very least, in this part of campus, the open space is typically covered in some sort of vegetation, whether it be lawn or more decorative planting rather than paving.
I would note, however, that there has been a great deal of construction on the eastern half of the section of map surveyed, especially in the area around North Deck and Jackson Street building. Trees and other vegetation have been planted there but have not yet had time to mature, so their existing value, both monetarily and aesthetically, have not yet shown their true potential.
Expanding Improvements Beyond North Campus
When looking beyond the confines of North Campus to see where trees could benefit Athens the most, simulations run time and again repeatedly pointed to the same area, regardless of whether I was focusing on population density, ability for trees to be planted there, or anything else. The area shaded by the medium value of pink represents the bulk of main campus. The area that I have chosen to prioritise is shaded in dark magenta. It is both part of campus, and my apartment and bus stop are both located within the immediate vicinity.
This is a natural choice for the addition of trees: the area in question houses the three largest residence halls on campus, as well as a very large parking deck. Despite the present of large infrastructure, there is still a great deal of space that could be vegetated in order to make the area more ecologically friendly and comfortable. Waiting at the bus stops is miserable due to lack of shade from any source. Though ‘Brumby Beach’, a swathe of lawn in between Russell and Brumby Halls, is extremely popular with students on fine days, trees and other vegetation could be introduced to help stabilise the steep slope present in the area and make Brumby Beach an even more pleasant place for students to gather.
This priority planting map focuses on two major factors: Tree Stocking Level and Tree Cover per Capita. This is a highly populated area due to the residence hall, and, as was previously mentioned, a great deal of open and paved space still remains that could be converted into greenspace with trees and other plantings. Tree Stocking Level, which refers to how many trees an area could accommodate, is heavily weighted at 75%, because of the area’s great potential. The Tree Cover per Capita then covers the last 25%, since there are so many students who live in this area that will benefit from tree addition.
Having lived in this particular area of campus for four years now, I recognise that there are definite challenges to adding new trees to the existing landscape. The area has great potential for development, and it is true that a great deal of people stand to benefit from plantings. However, that great number of people, the ones who gather on Brumby Beach, also indicate that it is a very high traffic space, and establishing vegetation in such places can be extremely difficult. There is a constant battle between those who must maintain the area and those who use the area, and unfortunately, despite its high traffic, this area receives the same allotment of manpower and money for upkeep as does a similar but less abused space somewhere else on campus. This has resulted in a landscape that is greatly lacking even though the intentions to keep it neat and usable are there. Despite these challenges, the addition of trees along the parking lots, at the bus stops, and along parts of Brumby Beach would transform the space and make it much more inviting, aesthetically pleasing, and ecologically stable. Because I have walked this area every day for four years, I can say this with confidence, as I have watched trees and smaller vegetation come down in those few years and not be replaced. Because of that, it is not the same area that I knew when I was a freshman and sophomore.