Productivity of an urban park

Abstract

We have moderately good knowledge of the yields of crops and of commercial forest land. In contrast, little is known of the productivity of urban park areas. Parks are neither grassland nor forest-in structure they most closely resemble savanna, i.e., grassland spotted with trees bearing large crowns. How much energy is trapped by these communities? How much oxygen is liberated? What are the water requirements and recharge potentials of such areas? How can vegetation be best managed to promote the aesthetic and recreational needs of the urban citizen-and at the same time maintain its vital function as a living filter? To begin examining these questions, we studied the productivity of an open portion of the Downer Woods located on The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus.