Environ Monit Assess. 2025 Dec 6;198(1):16. doi: 10.1007/s10661-025-14867-w.
ABSTRACT
Urban forests play a vital role in sustainable cities by providing ecological, social, and climatic benefits. However, tree selection often emphasizes aesthetics and pollution control, overlooking resilience to extreme weather, particularly cyclones in coastal regions. This study proposes a climate-resilient tree selection framework that integrates ecological function and mechanical stability. Thirty-four commonly planted species in Bhubaneswar, a cyclone-prone city in Odisha, India, were evaluated using four indices: Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI), Cyclone Tolerance Index (CTI), Use Value Index (UVI), and Morphometric Character Index (MCI). APTI was derived from leaf physio-biochemical traits; CTI from cyclone damage reports and UVI and MCI from ethnobotanical surveys and morphological data. These indices were normalized and combined into an Integrated Resilience and Utility Index (IRUI) to rank species suitability for urban planting. Based on IRUI values, species were categorized into five suitability classes ranging from very high to unsuitable. Azadirachta indica was identified as very highly suitable, while eleven species including Mimusops elengi, Neolamarckia cadamba, Alstonia scholaris, and Ficus religiosa were highly suitable for cyclone-prone polluted urban environments. Regression analysis indicated positive contributions of all four indices to IRUI, ranked as CRI > APTI > MCI > UVI. This framework provides a data-driven basis for urban planners to design multifunctional, climate-resilient green spaces, supporting Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
PMID:41351643 | DOI:10.1007/s10661-025-14867-w
