Urban street trees as carbon sink: a case study of Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh

The escalation of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations due to urbanization, industrialization, and motorization combined with rapid population development has been one of the main issues that cropped up during the past few decades. Trees possess significant potential to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, offering a valuable means to climate change mitigation within urban environments. The present study was conducted in Atal Nagar-Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh,  and introduces a novel method combining non-destructive measurement techniques with rigorous calibration to assess the carbon sequestration (C_seq) potential of street trees. Unlike traditional destructive sampling methods, this approach uses non-invasive tools to measure tree dimensions, by preserving the tree's health while providing accurate data. In the present study, a comprehensive analysis was performed to quantify the biomass and sequestered CO₂ of 17 species, including 78 trees and 26 saplings. The total stored carbon was 93.33 tha⁻¹ while the total sequestered CO₂ is 352.56 tha⁻¹. Hence, this research fills a gap by analysing the carbon sequestration potential of street trees in a rapidly urbanizing area, contributing knowledge on the role of urban vegetation in emerging cities like Naya Raipur. Our findings suggest the implementation of  green infrastructure in urban development to enhance carbon capture and improve climate resilience in developing urban areas.