USC Urban Trees Initiative 2023

The Urban Trees Initiative is a collaborative effort between USC and the City of LA that is responding to LA’s 2019 Green New Deal, which calls for 90,000 new trees to be planted. The Urban Trees Initiative strives to use spatial science best practices to determine how to get the best return on investment when increasing the urban tree canopy, specifically in underserved communities. The newest advancement in this project is the first ever attempt towards describing a tree equity index for Los Angeles County. Team members have extracted urban extreme heat data, generated shade models, modeled existing tree mortality in Los Angeles through the century, and more. The tree equity index is designed to identify the neighborhoods that would benefit the most from tree canopy development. By utilizing indicators that target poverty, high temperatures, and households burdened by vulnerable ages or walking commutes, the team developed an initial index for selected areas. The team is now working to make this index applicable for all of LA by finding the most optimal weighting method, and incorporating the projected lifespan of neighborhood canopies, efficiency of different tree species in absorbing pollutants, as well as the overall shade cover they provide.