Comments on 'Modeled PM2.5 removal by trees in ten U.S. cities and associated health effects; by Nowak et al. (2013)

摘要

As active researchers in urban ecology and scientific communication, we read with great interest a paper co-authored by Dave Nowak and colleagues, Modeled PM2.5 removal by trees in ten US. cities and associated health effects published earlier this year in the journal, Environmental Pollution. This report is the latest of many using output of the iTree model and its predecessors to monetize the value of urban trees. The abstract states that air quality improvement attributable to trees in 10 cities ranges from 0.05% to 0.24%. In the conclusions, however, the authors state that" the broad-scale effects of pollution removal by trees on PM2.5 concentrations and human health reveal that trees can produce substantial health improvements and values in cities."The contradiction between the model results and the conclusion raises concerns over the critical role of the scientists in providing clear information and communicating this to decision makers.