| Abstract | Municipalities are increasingly participating in floodplain buyout programs to mitigate the risk and severity of flood damage. However, these buyout properties often remain vacant and underutilized. Planting trees in these areas could optimize ecosystem services, including carbon storage and sequestration, stormwater attenuation, air pollution removal, oxygen production, and urban heat island mitigation. The purpose of this research is to determine if planting trees within buyout sites would maximize ecosystem services. I measured 359 trees across a buyout landscape in Arlington, Texas, and calculated their ecosystem services using i-Tree EcoTM. A geographic information system was created to assess available planting space and model four tree planting scenarios. Scenario modeling indicated that planting at least 75% of the available space (504 trees) would optimize ecosystem services. The results of this research suggest that floodplain buyouts are not just effective for mitigating flood hazards; they also provide opportunities to maximize ecosystem services for local communities and municipalities. |
