Species-specific evaluation of growth and environmental tolerance for ecosystem services – evaluation from a botanic tree collection

Abstract The planting of trees in urban environments is a challenging endeavor, largely due to the limited space available. It is therefore essential to select species that can deliver essential ecosystem services in an effective manner. This study presents a novel screening technique for identifying tree species with high potential for urban settings, with a particular focus on drought tolerance and rapid growth as key factors for success. The utilization of non-destructive data collection in a botanical tree collection enables the highlighting of variations in environmental tolerance and growth strategies among species. It is noteworthy that a subset of species exhibited a distinctive combination of high drought tolerance and robust growth, distinguishing them from the majority. These findings highlight the value of preliminary screening to identify promising candidates for more detailed and resource-intensive studies, such as greenhouse trials. Additionally, the study underscores the crucial role of botanical collections as repositories of distinctive genetic material, offering avenues to discover unconventional species suitable for urban greening. Further advancement of screening methodologies will enhance our capacity to select resilient tree species capable of flourishing in urban environments and providing multifunctional ecosystem benefits.