Making Urban Trees Count: Stormwater Performance-Based Credit for Urban Tree Planting
CREDITING FRAMEWORK PRODUCT #5 of Making Urban Trees Count: A Project to Demonstrate the Role of Urban Trees in Achieving Regulatory Compliance for Clean Water
The Center for Watershed Protection developed a national Stormwater Performance-Based Credit for tree planting. This method can be adopted by regulatory entities who would like to offer a scientifically defensible credit that encourages greater use of trees for meeting state (or local) stormwater management requirements. The credit quantifies an event-based reduction in runoff volume and nutrient and sediment loads associated with tree planting.
The Stormwater Performance-Based Credit can be applied by following the nine steps outlined in the Stormwater Performance-Based Credit Calculator. The Calculator quantifies the runoff reduction benefit of tree planting for a specific storm event (e.g., design storm). It also provides an estimate of the associated nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment load reductions, which are useful where stormwater regulations also tie the design storm to removal of a particular pollutant.
Center for Watershed Protection
December 2017
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Model Project/Program
Stormwater Management, Planting, Best Management Practices (BMPs)
Maryland
TMDL
