Campus Tree Inventory & Ecosystem Service Benefits Report
The University of North Texas at Dallas (UNT Dallas) urban forest plays a crucial role in the livability and sustainability of all those that visit each year. UNT Dallas 68,040 trees impact everything from economic development to the overall health of the people that work and learn on campus every day.
UNT Dallas’ 68,040 trees result in a tree canopy cover of 43%. The remainder of the campus is covered in non-canopy vegetation and impervious surface, such as buildings and parking lots, at 35% and 10% respectively. Of these 68,040 trees over 55% are one species. Increased tree diversity in landscapes as the University grows will help to increase species diversity and lower this number. With so much room to grown UNT Dallas faces many challenges. While at the same time is provided the unique opportunity to shape the campus for generations to come.
This report describes, in detail, the work that was completed to evaluate the current condition and value of the trees on the UNT Dallas campus. It also integrates the results of the campus inventory as well as the results of the Eco study and offers recommendations for the care and maintenance of the trees on campus and lays the framework for making UNT Dallas a greener, cleaner, cooler campus.
Key Findings
- The key findings for the 2016 UNT Dallas Urban Forest Resource Assessment are below. This data represents a snapshot of both the structural and functional values of the universities urban trees. They are provided to aid in the planning and management of this increasingly important resource. The quantification of the benefits from UNT Dallas’ urban forest should serve as a reliable advocacy tool to help educate university leaders and the student body about the importance of investing in professional planning and management of UNT Dallas’ trees.
- UNT Dallas has a total of 68,040 trees on campus valued at $53.5 million
- UNT Dallas average tree canopy is 43%.
- UNT Dallas’ most common tree species are Eastern Red Cedar, Cedar Elm, Green Ash
- UNT Dallas trees provide nearly $100,000 every year in environmental benefits.
- Trees cleaned the air by storing 11,662,000 pounds of carbon
- Trees provided annual energy savings of $3,510 annually
- Trees on the UNT Dallas campus mitigate 3,517,157 gallons of rainfall each year, for an annual savings of $31,429