Measuring and analyzing urban tree cover

Nowak, David J.; Rowntree, Rowan A.; McPherson, E. Gregory; Sisinni, Susan M.; Kerkmann, Esther R.; Stevens, Jack C.

doi:10.1016/s0169-2046(96)00324-6

Cited by 321 publications

(226 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Ecoregion index in our model exhibits a very significant influence on the demand for urban forest. The positive sign before ecoregion index attests to the conclusions made by Nowak et al (1996) and Dwyer et al (2000). These prior studies claimed that urban tree canopy cover is also highest in forested ecoregions, followed by other ecoregions such as grasslands and deserts.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 65%

“…Nowak et al (1996) and Dwyer et al (2000) show that urban tree canopy cover is highest in forested ecoregions, followed by grasslands and deserts, thus confirming ecoregion as an indispensable contributor to urban canopy variation at a national scale.…”

Section: Economic Model Of the Demand For Urban Forestsmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…Selected jurisdictional boundaries (e.g., state, county, urban area) were added to the data set after the complete coverage for the United States was generated. The accuracy of the estimates of canopy cover was determined through comparisons with canopy inventories of selected urban areas around the United States, based on aerial photography (Nowak et al, 1996). However, the urban forest canopy cover data are statistical estimates and are most suitable for large areas (Dwyer et al, 2000).…”

Section: Urban Forest Canopy Covermentioning

confidence: 99%

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Demand for urban forests in United States cities

Zhu

Zhang

2008

Landscape and Urban Planning

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 65%

Section: Economic Model Of the Demand For Urban Forestsmentioning

confidence: 77%

Section: Urban Forest Canopy Covermentioning

confidence: 99%

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Demand for urban forests in United States cities

Zhu

Zhang

2008

Landscape and Urban Planning

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“…As population densities increase, vegetation cover tends to decline as built-residential uses out-compete non-built land uses (Nowak et al 1996;Iverson and Cook 2000). However, population density alone cannot explain the variation in vegetation cover in cities.…”

Section: Social Predictors Of Urban Landscapesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape, vegetation characteristics, and group identity in an urban and suburban watershed: why the 60s matter

et al. 2009

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As highly managed ecosystems, urban areas should reflect the social characteristics of their managers, who are primarily residents. Since landscape features develop over time, we hypothesize that present-day vegetation should also reflect social characteristics of past residents. Using an urban-to-suburban watershed in the Baltimore Metropolitan Region, this paper examines the relationship between demographics, housing character-

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“…The same data were also used to measure the vegetation fraction and the reflectivity of the urban areas. Nowak et al (1996) reviewed several methods for determining urban tree cover from aerial photographs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban Surfaces and Heat Island Mitigation Potentials

Akbari

Rose

2008

JHES

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Data on materials and surface types that comprise a city, i.e. urban fabric, are needed in order to estimate the effects of light-colored surfaces (roofs and pavements) and urban vegetation (trees, grass, shrubs) on the meteorology and air quality of a city. We discuss the results of a semi-automatic statistical approach used to develop data on surface-type distribution and urban-fabric makeup using aerial color orthophotography, for four metropolitan areas of Chicago, IL, Houston, TX, Sacramento, CA, and Salt Lake City, UT. The digital high resolution (0.3 to 0.5-m) aerial photographs for each of these metropolitan areas covers representative urban areas ranging from 30 km 2 to 52 km 2 .Major land-use types examined included: commercial, residential, industrial, educational, and transportation. On average, for the metropolitan areas studied, vegetation covers about 29-41% of the area, roofs 19-25%, and paved surfaces 29-39%. For the most part, trees shade streets, parking lots, grass, and sidewalks. At ground level, i.e., view from below the tree canopies, vegetation covers about 20-37% of the area, roofs 20-25%, and paved surfaces 29-36%. IntroductionMitigating urban heat islands reduces demand for cooling-energy use and prevents smog formation (Akbari et al, 2001). In order to develop effective heat island mitigation programs, it is important to accurately characterize the urban surface, particularly in terms of surface-type distribution and vegetative fraction. An accurate characterization of the surfaces will allow a better estimate of potential increases in surface albedo 2 (roofs, pavements) and urban vegetation, providing more accurate modeling of the impact of heat-island reduction measures on ambient cooling and urban air quality.Researchers involved in the analysis of urban climate have tried to estimate the composition of various urban surfaces. In Sacramento, CA, Myrup and Morgan (1972) examined the city data in 1 Current address: Department of Geography, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306. 2 When sunlight hits an opaque surface, some of the energy is reflected (this fraction is called albedo = a) and the rest is absorbed (the absorbed fraction is 1-a). Low-a surfaces become much hotter than high-a surfaces.Submitted to Journal of the Human-Environment System 2 progressively smaller integral segments of macro-scale (representative areas of Sacramento), mesoscale (individual communities), micro-scale (land-use ordinance zones), and basic-scale (city blocks).The data used included the United States Geological Survey (USGS) photos, parks and recreation plans, city engineering roadways, and detailed aerial photos. The analysis covered 195 km 2 of the urban area. The calculated percentages of the land-use areas are as follows: residential 35.5%, commercial 7.2%, industrial 13.5%, streets and freeways 17.0%, institutional 3.2%, and open space and recreational 23.6%. The analysis found the average residential area to be about 22% streets, 23%roofs, 22% other impervious surfaces, ...

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Measuring and analyzing urban tree cover

Abstract: Measurement of city tree

Cited by 321 publications

References 4 publications

Demand for urban forests in United States cities

Demand for urban forests in United States cities

Landscape, vegetation characteristics, and group identity in an urban and suburban watershed: why the 60s matter

Urban Surfaces and Heat Island Mitigation Potentials

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