Assessment of current status of the urban forest in Baotou City.

The trees and tree communities were investigated in parks, streets, gardens, living districts, factory areas, and the buffer zone in the five districts of Bautou City, Inner Mongolia, north China. The authors surveyed the current status of the tree communities of urban green areas in Bautou and analyzed the values of the following indexes: species, species richness, biodiversity, the proportion of covering plants, the number of seasonal sceneries and the ratio of green area and natural degree. The results show that the species are too limited, the composition of the tree communities is too simple and the native trees used in this city are too limited in variety. There are altogether 81 species of trees used for greening work, among which 10 species are commonly used. About 85% of the total amount of the trees in Baotou City belong to these 10 species. Of the landscape communities 90% are made up of 2 to 8 species. The structure of the community is simple and the layer structure of 87% of the communities has only 2 or 3 layers. Native trees make up only 41% of the greening trees, which is not enough, the others are all imported from other areas. As a result, trees are not harmony with the city of Bautou given its location in a dry area.Its living pattern and ecological pattern are mainly made up of middle-living deciduous trees(62% of the total). In the future, whenever greening work is done, not only the number of tree species should be reconsidered, but also the diversity of urban space. For example: increasing the layer and seasonal scenery and emphasizing the utility and development of native trees.