ISA Article Shows The Role of Species Selection

Brazil Research Reveals Shade Trends in Public Spaces
by Keziah Olsen Morris, LASN

Older urban public spaces, like Praça Batista Campos in Belém, Brazil, contain a vibrant forest, while newer plazas feature significantly fewer canopy cover due to the "legacy" effect investigated in a recent article.

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Older urban public spaces, like Praça Batista Campos in Belém, Brazil, contain a vibrant forest, while newer plazas feature significantly fewer canopy cover due to the "legacy" effect investigated in a recent article.

An article by Martins Moraes et al. published in the September 2026 issue of Aboriculture & Urban Forestry evaluated the "floristic composition" of 5 old plazas and 5 new plazas in Northern Brazil, determining that the decrease in canopy cover in newer plazas was tied to the lack of management and inadequate species selection. The article proposes that prioritizing native species would allow urban governments to increase the canopy cover without taxing the labor and infrastructure around maintaining a public landscape.

As seen in LASN magazine, October 2026.