Development Issues and Carbon Stock of Street Trees in the City of Brazzaville

Abstract

The issue of street trees in urban planning is being addressed in Brazzaville, Congo. The aim is to improve urban space, in particular resilience for the well-being of city dwellers, by making the most of trees. As little attention has been paid to spatiotemporal research into the place of avenue trees in urban planning, the study targets ecosystem services rendered to society, once the paving of communication arteries is effective. The methodology is based on the inventory and enumeration of arborescent woody plants d^1.30 ≥ 10 cm, present in 32 arteries, meeting precise criteria. Notwithstanding the measurement of d^1.30 and tree height, the data collected includes the distance between trees and roadways, the area reserved for the plant and an assessment of the damage caused. The inventory lists 1,866 woody plants grouped into 41 species, 30 genera and 15 families. The allochthonous-dominated flora cohort includes several senescent individuals. Urban resilience and well-being are underpinned by above-ground biomass (81.68 t/ha/year) and sequestered carbon (40.84 t/ha/year). The carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestered would be 386.69 tones. In terms of infrastructure destruction, Terminalia mantaly and Terminalia catappa come out on top.