City – Tree – Soil

With the citizen science project “City – Tree – Soil,” we are investigating how the urban environment affects soils and tree growth. As part of the project, teams from BFW, UBA, BOKU, and the University of Innsbruck, together with students from NMS Reisgasse, MS Anton-Baumgartner-Straße, and the Practice Middle School in Innsbruck, are generating important insights for urban climate action. Anyone interested in Vienna and Innsbruck is also invited to take part. The project combines direct measurements in “urban nature” with digital classification of soil surface types. Beyond producing scientific findings, a key aim is to highlight the importance of urban trees for a healthy microclimate—and thus for all of us—and to communicate to the public the soil functions needed to support them.

The surveys and activities in this Sparkling Science project include:

  • Continuous tracking of tree radial growth using special measuring bands (dendrometers) by researchers, schoolchildren, and other citizen scientists. Readings are uploaded by citizen scientists to a tree database via QR code on their phones. This allows us to identify stress periods for trees (e.g., drought). Tree growth is also available for everyone to view in near real time.
  • Assessing tree vitality and the condition of the soil surface (“green strips with shrubs,” “compacted soil,” etc.) through “virtual city walks” conducted by the participating schools. This also builds digital skills and helps students discover the city from a new perspective.
  • Delineating surface categories on aerial imagery within grid cells by the project team, incorporating the data collected by the children.
  • Measuring height and diameter, and assessing the vitality of all “public trees,” as well as evaluating soil surface conditions in the field by the project team.
  • Collection of soil samples for laboratory analysis and measurement of water infiltration rates. Good infiltration capacity is especially important during heavy rainfall. These investigations will be carried out as examples together with the classes on school grounds; other sites will be sampled by the project team.

Based on these surveys, results can be extrapolated to the urban areas of Vienna and Innsbruck. The proportion of sealed surfaces currently used in city carbon balance calculations can also be refined using the project’s findings.

Project duration: 3 years, 1 September 2024 to 30 August 2027

BOKU participation: Institute of Organic Farming and Institute of Soil Research

BOKU responsibility: Development of a didactic concept and implementation in schools and for the general public.

Further information: Sparkling Science
Funder: BMBWF (Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research)

UBA project page: https://www.umweltbundesamt.at/umweltthemen/boden/rp-projekte/stadt-baum-boden
BFW project page: https://www.bfw.gv.at/stadt-baum-boden/
University of Innsbruck project page: forthcoming