The carbon sequestration capacity of trees plays a crucial role in determining the carbon sink potential in urban green spaces. To investigate the variations in carbon sequestration capacity among tree species and their impact factors, we selected four common tree species (Cinnamomum camphora, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Ginkgo biloba, and Cedrus deodara) in Shanghai. The individual carbon sequestration capacity of the four tree species (i.e., annual carbon sequestration) was evaluated based on long-term observation data from 174 monitoring plots in Shanghai. We examined the influence of plant size, plant density, and environmental factors (i.e., temperature, precipitation, and artificial light intensity at night) on the individual carbon sequestration capacity of each tree species using the multiple linear regression model. The results showed that: (1) The individual carbon sequestration capacity of C. camphora, M. glyptostroboides, G. biloba, and C. deodara was 4.01-51.58 kg/a, 1.04-13.47 kg/a, 0.62-18.56 kg/a, and 1.48-8.47 kg/a, respectively. The individual carbon sequestration capacity of C. camphora was significantly higher than other tree species in all groups of the diameter at breast height (DBH). (2) The plant size was the major determinant of individual carbon sequestration capacity, and the individual carbon sequestration capacity increased with the growth of plant size (within the range of 0-50 cm DBH). The individual carbon sequestration capacity of C. camphora and M. glyptostroboides decreased with the increase in plant density, while that of G. biloba positively related with plant density. (3) The temperature had a significantly negative impact on individual carbon sequestration capacity, while the impacts of precipitation and artificial light intensity at night varied among tree species. The precipitation showed a negative correlation with individual carbon sequestration capacity of C. camphora, whereas the precipitation displayed a positive correlation with that of M. glyptostroboides. The artificial light intensity at night demonstrated the positive correlation with the individual carbon sequestration capacity for C. camphora and M. glyptostroboides. Overall, we suggest that the selection of tree species should take into account both their individual carbon sequestration capacity and their sensitivity to environmental factors for future construction and management of urban forests in Shanghai.