UGA Natural Resources Spatial Analysis Lab releases urban canopy maps for southeastern US

Urban Canopy | Natural Resources Spatial Analysis Lab:
From 1991 Landsat data, we developed a second set of canopy information for the southeastern United States. This includes tree canopy coverage for Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Northern Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and most of Virginia. These data allow communities across the southeastern United States to begin to evaluate the trends in community tree canopy cover. The information can be used to determine the success of a number of urban forest programs from the success of tree ordinances to planting programs. For the first time, these trends data are consistent across a region; therefore, communities can compare their results and benchmark their programs. These data can be used in a number of modeling applications providing information on ecosystem services (storm water management, air quality, carbon sequestration and energy efficiency) to assess the value of tree canopy in providing these services and how they change over time.