Urban tree cover provides benefits to human health and well-being, but previous case studies suggest that tree cover is often inequitable. In this talk, we present recently created high-resolution imagery, classified on the Google Engine Platform, of tree cover in U.S. large urbanized areas, home to 167 million people across 5,723 municipalities and other places. We then present an analysis of the inequality in U.S. urban tree cover and ecosystem service provision among neighborhoods of different incomes.
Results/Conclusions
In 92% of the urbanized areas surveyed, low-income blocks have less tree cover than high-income blocks. On average low-income blocks have 15.2% less tree cover and are 1.5⁰C hotter (surface temperature) than high-income blocks. The greatest difference between low- and high-income blocks was found in urbanized areas in the Northeast of the United States, where low-income blocks often have at least 30% less tree cover and are at least 4.0⁰C hotter. Even after controlling for population density and built-up intensity, the association between income and tree cover is significant, as is the association between race and tree cover. We estimate, after controlling for population density, that low-income blocks have 62 million fewer trees than high-income blocks, a compensatory value of $56 billion dollars ($1,349/person). An investment in tree planting and natural regeneration of $17.6 billion would close the tree cover gap for 42 million people in low-income blocks.