URBAN TREE CANOPY ASSESSMENT
Leland, NC, USAPURPOSE OF THIS ANALYSIS
The Town of Leland is one of the fastest growing towns in southeastern North Carolina, known for its warm weather, wooded walking trails, and winding waterways. Located within Brunswick County, Leland is approximately 21.88 square miles, or 14,870 acres, in size. The canopy cover in Leland is a valuable asset providing residents and visitors with many environmental, social, and economic benefits. This assessment mapped tree canopy cover, possible planting area (PPA), and tree canopy change from 2014 to 2020 and analyzed how they are distributed throughout Leland’s town boundary, zoning, right-of-way (ROW), and census block groups.
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FINDINGS
In 2020, Leland had 51% tree canopy cover and 23% possible planting area, not including any surface water bodies within the town. Leland’s total land cover contained 50% tree canopy, 24% non-canopy vegetation; 5% soil/dry vegetation; 15% impervious surfaces, and 3% water. The 7,369 acres of tree canopy in Leland provide ecosystem benefits valued at over $2.6 million per year through air quality improvements, stormwater runoff prevention, and carbon sequestration. Results from this assessment found that canopy cover changed from 48% to 51% from 2014 to 2020 (+3% or 459 acres) using the current town boundary. Planned Unit Development-zoned areas make up about half of the town’s area and experienced an 8% gain in tree canopy cover.
RECOMMENDATIONS
This assessment produced a wealth of information that can be used by the Town to set a community-wide tree canopy cover goal. The information were also provided within several subdivisions of the town that will allow for setting goals and targeting priority areas for specific regions of the community based on existing tree canopy cover, available planting space, sociodemographics, and nature accessibility.
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Urban Tree Canopy Assessment Insights
51%
Urban Tree Canopy
23%
Possible Planting Area
15%
Impervious Surface