Screenshot of American Forests’ Tree Equity Analyzer, showing the Delray area.

Detroiters wanting to plant more trees in their neighborhoods have a new tool to assess a healthy urban canopy’s social and environmental benefits.

The “tree equity analyzer” from the tree-planting non-profit American Forests is a free web-based mapping tool that enables anyone to look at the kind of benefits their neighborhood already receives from trees and how those benefits – like shade and protection from heat, air pollution and flooding –could increase with more tree plantings.

American Forests coined the term “tree equity” to evaluate how well a healthy canopy’s health, climate, and economic benefits are distributed across socioeconomic boundaries. Many formerly redlined communities like Detroit have fairly low scores on the tree equity index, indicating fewer trees and less protection from heat and air pollution than wealthier and whiter areas.

The new analyzer could bring more non-professionals into the push for tree equity by giving residents, community groups, and block clubs a way to look at the benefits that come from tree planting. 

By providing information on the economic and environmental benefits of improvement to the urban canopy, the tool’s creators hope it can also be used to secure community support and funding.

“It’s designed to be something that’s accessible,”  Jesiqua Hutchison, manager of urban forestry in Detroit for American Forests, told Planet Detroit. “Even if you don’t have a background in data or you’re not from an environmental background, you’re still going to be able to understand what you’re looking at.”

Screenshot of American Forests’ tree equity analyzer tool showing the benefits of planting 5,000 trees in the Delray area.

Hutchison said the tool is a good starting point for block clubs or community groups who want to add trees to the neighborhood but are unsure where to put them.

The tree analyzer builds on American Forest’s previous work mapping tree equity by census block in the city, which includes information about self-reported health burdens and heat disparities experienced by neighborhoods.

In the analyzer, users can click on a census block and see what the area’s current canopy cover and tree equity score are and view other information like heat disparity and poverty level. One can then create a model showing the number of trees needed to raise the tree equity score by a set amount. The tool also calculates information on the benefits of planting that number of trees in the location, including jobs, and how much carbon, rainwater, and air pollution the plantings could sequester or remove. 

Groups can use the tool to set and reach their own tree equity goals. For example, if the user looks at the census block, including the Delray neighborhood in southwest Detroit, and adjusts the current tree equity score from 58 to 63, the report shows that 5,000 trees are needed to achieve that goal. The city’s tree equity score is 80 out of 100. 

The tool also shows that planting these trees would support 36 jobs and remove 129 pounds of PM 2.5, or particulate matter pollution, equal to the annual PM 2.5 emissions from around 60 cars.

Users can then zero in on areas where they can plant trees of different sizes by looking at public rights of way or individual parcels that lack buildings or trees. The benefits are added to the project report and analyzed for their potential to advance neighborhood health and tree canopy goals.

Hutchison said that community groups could use the tool to help support grant proposals that quantify tree planting program benefits. Residents can use the tool to make a case against cutting down trees or to prioritize tree maintenance. She added that it’s important for people using the tool to “ground truth” scenarios.

One piece of data currently missing from these reports is how trees could help reduce heat. This may be added to future versions along with information on air quality, population density and brownfields.

The Detroit Tree Equity Partnership, which includes American Forests, The Greening of Detroit, Detroit Future City, DTE Energy and the city of Detroit, has already used the analyzer to prioritize planting in areas that have historically been subject to flooding. 

Detroiters may need help negotiating the tool, which took one reporter half an hour and a bit of help to get the hang of. American Forests said they will host several training sessions on how to use the tool and post how-to videos online. Those interested in the tree equity score analyzer can sign up to the Detroit Tree Equity Partnership’s mailing list to receive updates.

Sign me up for Planet Detroit’s free weekly email newsletter

Give us your email, and we’ll give you our award-winning free weekly email newsletter on Fridays

Brian Allnutt is a senior reporter and contributing editor at Planet Detroit. He covers the climate crisis, environmental justice, politics and open space.