Conservation News By KIRST E N F E R G U S O N
Study Reveals Disparity in Urban Tree Cover n the United States, wealthier and whiter neighborhoods are more likely to enjoy the benefits of greenery and shade. Low-income blocks in 92% of America’s urban communities have less tree cover and are hotter, according to a recent analysis by Robert McDonald of The Nature Conservancy and colleagues. Trees are linked to a host of benefits, including reduced air pollution and improved mental health. However, urban tree cover is often unequally distributed. The analysis used digital images from the National Agriculture Imagery Program to examine tree cover in the 100 largest U.S. urban areas. It also used Landsat imagery to analyze summertime temperatures. Low-income blocks had 15.2% less tree cover on average and were hotter by an average 1.5 degrees Celsius. The Northeast showed the greatest disparity, with low-income blocks in some urban areas having 30% less tree cover while being 4 degrees Celsius hotter. Blocks with a greater proportion of people of color had less tree cover and hotter summer temperatures. The link between race and urban tree canopy held up even after accounting for other factors. Researchers estimate the disparity could be addressed by a $17.6 billion investment in tree planting and natural regeneration. The report can be read online in the journal PLOS ONE. In addition, American Forests maintains an online Tree Equity Score tool (treeequityscore.org) that makes it easy to evaluate how a community fares and whether there are enough trees for everyone. P
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^ A youth trail crew from Conservation Corps North Carolina stands along the new Heritage Trail they helped to construct, which establishes a walkable pathway from Princeville Elementary School to a museum in the town’s center.
A North Carolina Partnership Seeds Resilience fter Hurricane Matthew in 2016, a flood shuttered Princeville Elementary School in eastern North Carolina. In 2020, after four years of renovations, the school reopened only to close again in a few months due to COVID-19. Students who returned this fall were greeted by some new updates—conservation projects installed by local teens. The Conservation Trust for North Carolina (CTNC) and partners worked alongside the town of Princeville, Princeville Elementary School and NC State University’s Coastal Dynamics Design Lab to design and install the Seeding Resilience project. Supported by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Resilient Communities Program, Seeding Resilience incorporates green infrastructure, such as rain gardens, with educational elements to engage the community and reduce the damage when flooding occurs again. NC State’s Design + Build students installed shaded seating areas, education stations and garden planters to support the school’s STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) curriculum goals while connecting students to nature. Two crews of local high school students, managed by Conservation Corps North Carolina, were hired to build rain gardens and a Heritage Trail that connects the elementary school to the Princeville History Museum. “We could not have imagined more inspiring community partners, especially in the midst of a pandemic,” CTNC Executive Director Chris Canfield says. “From the mayor and town manager to the principal and teachers—they all rolled up their sleeves to help. This is only the first of many collaborations to come.” P
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S AV I NG L A ND M A G A ZIN E FALL 2021
STEVE MARTIN, LICENSED UNDER CC BY 2.0
| Denver residents enjoy a tree-filled park. A recent study found a significant disparity in tree cover in low-income communities across America.
