Advancing urban forest and ecosystem service assessment through the integration of remote sensing and i-Tree Eco: A systematic review

Abstract

Urban forests support the health and well-being of billions of people living in cities.globally. To better manage urban forests, it is crucial to assess their ecosystem.services. This systematic review analyzes two established urban forest assessment.approaches—i-Tree Eco and remote sensing—which have developed independently.but hold significant potential for integration. The review, comprising the years 2008 to.2022, evaluates the current status of both methods in assessing urban forest structure.and ecosystem services, highlighting opportunities for synergy. The literature shows.that while both approaches primarily focus on regulatory services, remote sensing.offers more versatile tools for assessing a broader range of ecosystem services.beyond i-Tree's standardized scope. Remote sensing holds potential to enhance i-Tree.Eco by providing structural and location-specific data at scale, albeit with varying.accuracies. Studies have shown that LiDAR data reliably derives tree height and crown.width, and that, in combination with multispectral and hyperspectral imagery, it.enhances species identification. Additionally, mobile, and terrestrial laser scanners.accurately estimate diameter at breast height. However, gaps remain in using remote.sensing to assess crown characteristics like crown missing and dieback, which, though.not critical, are useful for enhancing ecosystem service estimates in i-Tree Eco.Despite the potential of remote sensing to automate urban tree inventories, limited.research has shown its successful integration with i-Tree Eco. Future research should.standardize remote sensing techniques for assessing tree crown health. Additionally,.further work is needed on quantifying differences between remote sensing and groundbased.measurements, with the aim of evaluating uncertainty levels and understanding.how these uncertainties impact the reliability and usefulness of data for policymaking.and planning. • Integrating i-Tree Eco and remote sensing (RS) for ecosystem service (ES) assessment is rare. • i-Tree Eco and RS have primarily been used to assess regulatory ES. • RS expands ES modelling capabilities beyond i-Tree Eco's scope. • Crown health assessment and species identification gaps persist using RS. • Integrating RS with i-Tree Eco is a growing field of research.

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