Ecosystem benefits of urban woody plants for sustainable green space planning: a case study from Wroclaw.

City residents benefit daily of urban green spaces, often unaware of their true value. We transformed biometric indicators of woody plants into ecosystem equivalents for evaluating ecosystem services (ES) by the I-tree eco tool estimate of boulevards with a different ratio of bushes, trees, and urban canopy cover (UCC). The results showed that the studied green spaces annually retain 111.24 metric tonnes of carbon in their biomass, estimated at 17,846 thousand €, and are capable of producing 1928 thousand € by different ES. It includes 4.01 metric tonnes/year of gross carbon sequestration worth €636.15, 76.01 m/year of avoided runoff worth €139.28, and 60.95 metric tonnes/year of pollution removal (ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter) worth €1152.16. For objects where shrubs are the primary producers of ES, it is important to model crown development along the horizontal axis. Quantitative and qualitative assessment of different types of woody plants of different ages allows for effective selection of urban plants to create a well-being environment for citizens. The practical value of the results can improve the spatial planning of urban green infrastructure by considering the ES indices of trees and shrubs and expanding opportunities to inform the public about their value.