URBAN TREE CANOPY ASSESSMENT
Greenville, NC, USAPURPOSE OF THIS ANALYSIS
The City of Greenville, also known as The Gem of the East, is the cultural, educational, economic, and medical hub of eastern North Carolina. Located within Pitt County, Greenville is approximately 38.4 square miles, or 24,386 acres, in size. The canopy cover in Greenville 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 Greenville’s city boundary, right-of-way (ROW), city council districts, and parcels.
Access the Urban Tree Canopy Assessment
FINDINGS
In 2020, Greenville had 34% tree canopy cover and 30% possible planting area, not including any surface water bodies within the city. Greenville’s total land cover contained 34% tree canopy, 33% non-canopy vegetation; 2% soil/dry vegetation; 30% impervious surfaces, and 2% water. The 8,218 acres of tree canopy in Greenville provide ecosystem benefits valued at over $3.4 million per year through air quality improvements, stormwater runoff prevention, and carbon sequestration. Results from this assessment found that canopy cover changed from 31% to 34% from 2014 to 2020 (+3% or 742 acres) using the current city boundary. City Council District 1 contained the largest distribution of Greenville’s total canopy cover at 35% and 30% of all PPA in the City.
RECOMMENDATIONS
This assessment produced a wealth of information that can be used by the City to set a community-wide tree canopy cover goal. The information were also provided within several subdivisions of the city 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.
Fill out the form to access the Greenville Tree Canopy Assessment
Access the Urban Tree Canopy Assessment
Greenville Tree Canopy Assessment Insights
34%
Urban Tree Canopy Cover
30%
Possible Planting Area
30%
Impervious Surface