Work

Global Urban Tree Species (GUTS): Revealing tree species diversity across the world’s urban areas

Year: 2026

Type: data-paper

Abstract: Diverse tree communities can bolster urban ecosystem resilience and provide vital ecosystem services. However, existing urban tree species datasets have limited geographic coverage and contain inadequate attributes. To address those gaps, we developed the Global Urban Tree Species (GUTS) dataset by integrating data from literature, biodiversity databases, and other open sources. The new dataset encompasses 159,845 occurrence records of 10,094 tree species in 8,349 cities and 139 countries. Among them, 109,879 records were confirmed from urban areas, representing 11.18% of global tree species diversity. The dataset has been validated using multiple methods. GUTS fills critical data gaps and provides a foundation for future research and management of global urban biodiversity.

Source: Scientific Data

DOI: 10.1038/s41597-026-06868-2

Authors: Xudong Yang, Pengbo Yan, Jing Jin, Xinyi Liu, Jun Yang

Institutions: Tsinghua University, Guilin Tourism University, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Language: English

Topic: Urban Arborization and Environmental Studies

Subfield: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Life on land

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,490