Sweetgum
Grown for its spectacular star-shaped leaves and fiery autumn colour. A tolerant, upright street and avenue tree that gives strong seasonal character in urban settings.
Carbon and evidence
Carbon Sink & Ecosystem Services
A living landscape element — a carbon sink and provider of ecosystem services, not a manufactured product. Its value is measured by sequestration and biodiversity, not embodied carbon, and it must never be netted against a product’s A1–A3.
Carbon Sequestration
Sequestered — carbon removed from the atmosphere
indicative for a medium tree at maturity; varies with size, form and context
Source: i-Tree Eco
Indicative and highly variable by species, size, soil and context. Sequestration is slow and reversible — it is not equivalent to avoiding an emission and must not offset embodied product carbon.
Biodiversity Net Gain
non-native ornamental; strong amenity value, lower habitat value than natives
Source: Defra Biodiversity Metric 4.0
England requires a 10% Biodiversity Net Gain; distinctiveness is one input to the habitat unit calculation.
Water / SuDS
canopy interception reduces runoff
Source: CIRIA SuDS Manual (C753)
Ecosystem Services
Establishment & Maintenance
nursery growing, transport, tree pit, staking and establishment watering carry a small upfront carbon cost
Read This Honestly
- •Sequestration is slow, uncertain and reversible — it un-banks if the plant dies.
- •Never offset embodied product carbon with it.
- •Non-native ornamental — choose natives where habitat value is the priority.
Products in this category
No manufacturer products are listed in this category yet. You can specify sweetgum generically and carry it through to a render and specification as normal.
Specification
- Finish
- Medium tree
- Service life
- 60 years