Trees and forests have a natural ability to reduce stormwater runoff. As more and more communities encourage or even require the use of natural vegetative systems as part of their stormwater management programs, municipal planners and engineers require technical tools that allow them to quantify the stormwater benefits of this “green infrastructure” in a way that works seamlessly with existing models and methods. This fact sheet summarizes methods and tools to account for the ability of green infrastructure to reduce runoff and remove pollutants. It is organized into two categories:
- Methods for incorporating green infrastructure into runoff models
- Models and calculators for estimating the functions, benefits, and economics of green infrastructure