Field Data Randomly located 0.04 ha (0.1 ac) field plots were measured in 16 cities to sample the entire urban forest structure of that city (e.g.,) tree species composition, number of trees on all land uses) (Table 1). These cities were sampled in collaboration with a number of cooperators, all of whom used methods developed by the USDA Forest Service for various urban forest research projects (e.g., Nowak and Crane 2000; Nowak et al. 2005). Data collection included land use, tree species, stem diameter at 1.37 m (4.5 ft) above the ground (dbh), tree and crown heights, crown width, and canopy condition. Oxygen Production by Trees Net oxygen production by trees is based on the amount of oxygen produced during photosynthesis minus the amount of oxygen consumed during plant respiration (Salisbury and Ross 1978): Photosynthesis: n(CO2) + n(H2O) + light → (CH2O)n + nO2 Respiration: (CH2O)n + nO2 → n(CO2) + n(H2O) + energy If carbon dioxide uptake during photosynthesis exceeds carbon dioxide release by respiration during the year, the tree will accumulate carbon (carbon sequestration). Thus, a tree that has a net accumulation of carbon during a year (tree growth) also has a net production of oxygen. The amount of oxygen produced is estimated from carbon sequestration based on atomic weights: net O2 release (kg yr) = net C sequestration (kg yr) × 32 12 Tree Biomass The net amount of oxygen produced by a tree during a year is directly related to the amount of carbon sequestered by the tree, which is tied to the accumulation of tree biomass. Biomass for each measured tree was calculated using equations from the literature with inputs of dbh and tree height (see Nowak 1994; Nowak et al. 2002a). Equations that predict aboveground biomass were converted to whole tree biomass based on a belowground to aboveground ratio of 0.26 (Cairns et al. 1997). Equations that compute fresh weight biomass were multiplied by species- or genus-specific conversion