Nashville’s tree canopy assessment

47
Percent of Davidson County shaded by trees
158
Thousands of acres shaded by trees
35.3
Percent of possible
tree canopy
119
Thousand of acres where trees can be planted
4.8
Percent of canopy downtown (lowest)
66.7
Percent of canopy in Joelton (highest)

Zoom in on your tree canopy on an interactive map by the Planning Department here.
Try the canopy calculator here.

Nashville's new assessment of its urban tree canopy reveals:

  • 47% of Davidson County is shaded by trees that need protecting
  • 35% of the county has places to plant more trees

This assessment establishes a baseline for Nashville so we don't lose our existing trees and helps prioritize new plantings where they can be most effective.

Nashville's tree canopy includes all of the trees in Davidson County. The Urban Tree Canopy assessment determines the extent of trees that cover the ground when viewed from above.

Measuring the tree canopy is the first step toward managing the county's urban forest. This will increase Nashville's understanding of its resources:
• How much tree canopy exists
• How many trees we can plant

The survey analyzes high-resolution aerial imagery, categorizing Davidson County into tree canopy, grass/open space, agriculture, impervious surfaces, soil, and water.

No. Davidson County loses acres to development every week, so we lose tree canopy faster than we are replacing it. Also, the western part of the county is rural and heavily wooded. Without those trees, the urban average is 33%.

The study was prepared for the Metro Tree Advisory Committee and Metro Nashville by AMEC Earth and Environmental. It was funded by a Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry Grant, Metro Planning Department, Metro Public Works, and Metro Water Services. The study was supported by Metro Beautification and Environment Commission, Metro Codes Department, and Metro Parks and Recreation.

Tree canopy metrics

• 34% of Metro's tree canopy is in vacant residential, commercial and industrial landuse.

29% of Metro's tree canopy is rural land.

21% of Metro's tree canopy is single family residential landus.

3% of Metro's tree canopy is in public rights-of-way.

SOURCE:
Metro Nashville Tree Canopy Assessment Project • AMEC Earth & Environmental

Parking lot / garage land use represents 960 acres excluding most parking lot area within commercial and industrial properties. With 19% possible vegetation UTC and 60% possible impervious UTC, this land use offers significant opportunities to increase UTC over impervious surfaces even without replacing significant portions of parking lots with trees.

Commercial and industrial properties average only 15% existing UTC but have 27% possible vegetation UTC and an additional 36% possible impervious UTC.

Single family residential property has an average 44% existing UTC but 37% possible vegetation UTC. Public involvement is often the most cost-effective means to increase UTC.

Downtown has 4.5% existing UTC but 16% possible vegetation UTC and an additional 31% possible impervious UTC.

Public rights-of-way represent 9% of the land area yet contain only 3% of UTC.

SOURCE:
Metro Nashville Tree Canopy Assessment Project • AMEC Earth & Environmental

The county was categorized by land use.

The survey used aerial imagery to determine tree location and radar data to determine tree height. This information was combined with GIS mapping data to identify impervious surfaces (buildings, streets, sidewalks, and parking lots).

Computer analysis divided the resulting land use maps into six classes: tree canopy, grass/open space, agriculture, impervious surfaces, bare soil, and water.

The study calculated the existing tree canopy — the total area covered by trees. It also revealed potential tree canopy — open space vegetation and impervious surfaces such as parking lots where trees can be planted. Agricultural land, recreation areas, and land under powerline were not included.

SOURCE:
Metro Nashville Tree Canopy Assessment Project • AMEC Earth & Environmental

Starting with high-resolution aerial imagery, manmade structures were identified. The results were divided into land-use categories , and then existing and potential canopy were computed.



Canopy assessment maps
by neighborhood and council district



Nashville's Tree Canopy Assessment Report


Overview handout
Successful Tree Canopy Assessment, presented at Partners in Community Forestry Conference, Philadelphia, November 2010





Green Infrastructure Strategies of Nashville, presented at Tennessee Urban Forestry Council Conference, Chattanooga, October 2010



Nashville's Tree Canopy Assessment was conducted by AMEC Earth and Environmental for Metro Tree Advisory Committee and Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County • Funded by State of Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry Grant, Metro Planning Department, Metro Public Works, and Metro Water Services • Supported by Metro Beautification and Environment Commission, Metro Codes Department, and Metro Parks and Recreation