Kalamazoo College Proposed Tree Enhancement Project

Abstract

Trees provide ecosystem services that would be far too costly for humans to create themselves. These services can be classified into four main groups: environmental benefits, communal benefits, economic benefits, and social benefits (Antunes 2012). In urban spaces, tree planning is crucial in order to maximize ecosystem services. Kalamazoo College is home to 1,315 trees, but the campus tree community could benefit from an increase in biodiversity (Singh 2019). An increase in tree species biodiversity can improve the Kalamazoo College ecosystem quality by creating homes for new species and providing protection from some pest attacks. This research proposes trees that will benefit Kalamazoo College.