THE INFLUENCE OF LAND-USE, ENVIRONMENT, AND SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS ON TREE SPECIES DISTRIBUTION IN BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

Abstract

With the exponential growth in human population and rapid increase in global urbanization, understanding changes in community dynamics and structure in human dominated landscapes is essential, yet, rarely studied. To determine what factors account for tree species composition and distribution in an urban setting, data from the 1999 UFORE Model vegetation survey of Baltimore, Maryland was analyzed. There was a diverse arboreal population found, comprised primarily of species native to the area. Detrended correspondence analysis did not show a clear pattern of species assemblages based on land-use, possibly indicating a homogenization of conditions across the urban environment. In canonical correspondence analyses, species distribution could not be explained by socioeconomic factors, however, there was a significant relationship of tree species assemblages and the physical environment, specifically with percent impervious surface cover. The amount of variance accounted for was small indicating that other factors may be involved in determining tree species distribution.