Trees and Stormwater Runoff (Green Stormwater Infrastructure)

This collection contains current information regarding trees (urban forests and street trees) and stormwater runoff mitigation at the site or neighborhood scale. Frequently referred to as green stormwater infrastructure (GSI).

Integrating a canopy interception spreadsheet tool with WinSLAMM for site stormwater design: potential water quantity and quality benefits

This presentation was given by Dane Wudel at the pre-conference workshop for the Center for Watershed Protection Annual Conference in Charleston, SC. It reviews a spreadsheet tool developed to show how tree canopy cover modifies rainfall volume that can be fed into the WinSLAMM model.

Filling a Need: Developing training for stormwater managers about the influence of trees on urban stormwater

This presentation was given by Charles Barden at the pre-conference workshop for the Center for Watershed Protection Annual Conference in Charleston, SC. This presentation reviews the results from a Stormwater Manager survey assessing the need for training and materials to help them use urban trees ...

Digging into the data: unraveling the influence of urban trees on stormwater quantity and quality

This presentation was given by Trisha Moore at the pre-conference workshop for the 2019 Center for Watershed Protection Annual Conference in Charleston, SC. It shows some of her preliminary results from a meta-analysis done on the most current trees and stormwater research.

The Health of Trees in Bioretention: A Survey and Analysis of Influential Variables

This research study compared the health of trees in bioretention systems in TN and NC with trees in other open-grown, urban settings.

Stormwater Goes Green: The Benefit and Health of Trees in Green Stormwater Infrastructure

This webcast was delivered on Jan. 29, 2018 by Andrew Tirpak through Forester University. It describes some of his research results looking at trees in bioretention practices in TN and NC.

Stormwater Goes Green: The Benefit and Health of Trees in Green Stormwater Infrastructure (view webcast)

View the on-demand webcast for this presentation

Making Urban Trees Count: Stormwater Performance Based Credit Calculator

CREDITING FRAMEWORK PRODUCT #6 of Making Urban Trees Count: A Project to Demonstrate the Role of Urban Trees in Achieving Regulatory Compliance for Clean Water read more...

Making Urban Trees Count: Pollutant Load Reduction Credit Tool

CREDITING FRAMEWORK PRODUCT #4 of Making Urban Trees Count: A Project to Demonstrate the Role of Urban Trees in Achieving Regulatory Compliance for Clean Water read more...

Gray to Green (G2G): User Guide and Documentation

A decision support tool for transitioning to vegetation-based stormwater management. A product of the University of South Florida in partnership with the University of Florida and Thomas L. Singleton Consulting with grant funding assistance from the U.S. Forest Service.

Stormwater Nutrient Reduction: Using Riparian Buffers and Upland Urban Forest Systems

This presentation was given at StormCon 2017 on August 29, 2017.

Stormwater Management Benefits of Trees

The benefits of trees as stormwater management practices, especially in urban and suburban settings, have recently been more widely recognized. Here, we summarize recent work describing and quantifying the stormwater management benefits of trees, especially at the individual tree and property/site ... read more...

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, and 2. How does effectiveness vary by species, over time, ... read more...

The Role of Trees in Urban Stormwater Management

Arboriculture deserves additional consideration as a stormwater control measure. The reliable use of trees for stormwater control depends on improved understanding of how and to what extent trees interact with stormwater, and the context-specific consideration of optimal arboricultural practices ...

Quantifying the benefits of urban forest systems as a component of the green infrastructure stormwater treatment network

The purpose of this literature review is to highlight the limited research performed, document areas of need for quantifying the benefits of urban trees for stormwater management, and provide a basis for providing credits for trees in stormwater designs.

Give Me the Numbers: How trees and urban forests really affect stormwater runoff

This archived webinar, and supporting materials, was presented on February 8, 2017.

A Compendium of Urban Water Management Developments in Southeast Louisiana

This publication released by the Louisiana Urban Stormwater Coalition describes the need for managing (not controlling) stormwater, making space for and living with water, and working with hydrologic cycles in South Louisiana.

Give Me the Numbers: How Trees and Urban Forest Systems Really Affect Stormwater Runoff (Manuscript)

Article published in Stormwater Magazine on-line October 2016 taken from a manuscript submitted for the StormCon 2016 Proceedings.

Give Me the Numbers: How Trees and Urban Forest Systems Really Affect Stormwater Runoff (Presentation Notes)

Presentation notes from presentation given by Aarin Teague and Eric Kuehler at StormCon 2016 Annual Conference in Indianapolis, IN on August 23, 2016. read more...

Give Me the Numbers: How Trees and Urban Forest Systems Really Affect Stormwater Runoff

Presentation given by Aarin Teague and Eric Kuehler at 2016 StormCon Annual Conference in Indianapolis, IN on August 23, 2016 read more...

Effects of distributed and centralized stormwater best management practices and land cover on urban stream hydrology at the catchment scale

This is a paired watershed research study to compare stormwater management strategy effects, including riparian buffer and tree canopy cover, on urban hydrology.