Overview
The most fundamental tool of TreePlotter CANOPY, this tool allows a user to see the distribution of tree canopy cover and available planting space across geographic scales and boundaries. Two slider bars are shown below the geographic boundaries. These slider bars control the features displayed on the map. Users can click and slide the toggles on the slider bar to remove any areas whose tree canopy or available planting space does not fall within the specified range. The active layer is indicated by a radio button in the upper left-hand corner of the slider boxes. The active layer will be listed in the legend and shown on the map. Hovering the cursor over any feature displays a summary popup of specific percentages.
Instructions to Use the Tool
Step 1 – Select a Geography: Select the geographic
boundary of interest by using the drop-down menu. The
selected geography will be displayed in the map.
Step 2 – Select a Metric: Click the radio button next to
Urban Tree Canopy or Possible Planting Area to view
levels of each metric within the geographic boundary
chosen in Step 1.
Step 3 – Filter Data: By clicking and dragging the toggles
on a specific slider bar, a user can filter the data to show
areas on the map that fall within specific percentage
ranges of tree canopy or possible planting area. This can
be done using one metric at a time or by selecting the
primary metric, applying a filter to it, then applying a
filter to the secondary metric. As a user applies filters to
the data, areas that do not meet the filter criteria will be
removed from the map.
Understanding the Metrics
Some of the colors in the images below may look different in your TreePlotter CANOPY application. The metrics and how they work within your application will be the same.
Urban Tree Canopy: Urban Tree Canopy is measured as a percentage in your TreePlotter CANOPY application. The Legend in the top right corner will inform you with the range of percentages of Urban Tree Canopy across your application.
Possible Planting Area: Possible Planting Area is a percentage of area available within a polygon for additional tree planting. The Legend in the top right corner of your application will provide the range of Possible Planting Area. You can find out more about Possible Planting Area in this support article here.
Tree Canopy Change: Tree Canopy Change is the change of tree canopy over a range of years. This metric is extremely useful when determining how a weather event, invasive pest, or tree planting initiatives may have effected tree canopy. Tree Canopy Change will be positive if tree canopy has expanded over the time frame. Tree Canopy Change will be negative if tree canopy has decreased in an area overtime. The years of the Tree Canopy Change are listed in the View Tool. The years may differ depending on when the data in your area became available. The Legend in the top right corner of your application will provide a range of percentages for the change in Tree Canopy.
Tree Equity Score: Tree Equity Score is a metric created by American Forests. This metric can be seen in the View and Plan Tool. Here, we will just talk about how the metric is seen in the View Tool. For more information on the Tree Equity Score and how it is calculated, check out our support article here.
