Urban forests are a valuable source of ecosystem services in towns and cities. They help us alleviate problems associated with densely packed populations by improving local air quality, capturing carbon and reducing flooding. They also provide food and habitat for animals, such as birds and bees, and improve social cohesion in communities.However, the value of urban trees, both quantifiable and otherwise, is often overlooked within planning developments. By valuing the quantifiable services provided by trees in Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham County Borough Council and Natural Resources Wales can increase the profile of the County‟s urban forests, ensuring their value is maintained and improved upon. In addition, valuing these ecosystem services helps town planners, landscape architects and tree officers to plan where trees will be planted for the maximum benefit.A survey of Wrexham County Boroughs trees‟ to value a number of ecosystem services was undertaken in summer 2013 with the aid of i-Tree Eco, used for the first time in Wales. i-Tree Eco is a model developed by the US Forest Service that allows scientists to measure a range of ecosystem services provided by urban trees, from carbon sequestration to pollutant removal. The study was funded by Natural Resources Wales and Wrexham County Borough Council and was carried out by Forest Research. The quality of life for residents of Wrexham is significantly improved by its urban forest, helping alleviate flash flooding and sewer blockages, providing cleaner air and supporting wildlife such as pollinators. In addition, Wrexham‟s urban forest contributes significantly to the local economy, saving around £1.44 million in services per year. This would be enough money to plant nearly 800 medium sized oak trees in Wrexham and iscomparable to the amount needed to refurbish Wrexham cemetery (Wrexham.com, 2014). Wrexham has a high density of trees but low canopy cover compared to similar sized towns. A further 28% of Wrexham‟s urban space could be planted with trees, bringingWrexham in line with other urban areas. Wrexham‟s urban forest could also be improved by planting a higher diversity of tree species, improving its resilience to pests and diseases. The number of large trees in Wrexham is above average for the UK and, in particular,there are many impressive old oaks. However, there are fewer large trees than recommended for a future-proofed urban forest, suggesting some room for improvement. Increasing planting of large stature trees may future proof Wrexham‟s impressive stock of large growing trees. A summary of key results is presented on page 5
