This
presentation is designed to highlight the importance of tree species in
remediating soil, water, and air pollution. Tree species are capable of
containing, degrading, or eliminating metals, pesticides, solvents, explosives,
crude oil and its derivatives and various other contaminants from the media
that contains them. The following components will be discussed.
·
U
ptake and concentration of substances from the environment into the tree
biomass.
·
Reduction of
the mobility of substances in the environment, for example, by limiting the
leaching of substances from the soil.
·
Enhancement of
soil microbial activity for the degradation of contaminants, typically by
organisms that associate with roots.
·
Removal of
substances from soil or water with release into the air, sometimes as a result
of transformation to more volatile and/or less polluting substances.
·
Filtering water
through a mass of roots to remove toxic substances or nutrients. The pollutants
remain absorbed in or adsorbed to the roots.
Arboricultural and urban forestry practices to increase
remediation and mitigation capacity of tree species will be highlighted and
discussed.