City of Austin Tree Shade Analysis

The overall value of tree shade provided by a continuous tree canopy in a growing urban area is often undervalued and under appreciated by those who benefit from it. In the city of Austin, Texas however, the Urban Forestry Program & Board (UFP) is the driving force behind the maintenance and protection of the city’s urban tree canopy. The UFP is interested in identifying the areas of Austin where the urban tree canopy is most prominent and where it may be lacking coverage, as well as identifying the strength of the canopy in different areas of the city. A joint study for the UFP was preformed through a collaborative research effort between the two consulting firms known as Austin Urban Trails© (AUT) and Sustainable Solutions of Central Texas© (SSOCT).

The Texas State University organized project was split into two teams due to the workload and the time frame provided. AUT was in charge of trail shade analysis for the City of Austin while SSOCT was in charge of the street shade analysis. Both teams worked in conjunction to produce products with equal quality, accuracy, and visual representation.

Access the analysis and detailed information of the two teams work by clicking each team logo.