URBAN TREE CANOPY ASSESSMENT

Jacksonville, NC, USA

PURPOSE OF THIS ANALYSIS

The City of Jacksonville is located near the coast of North Carolina, known for its traditional southern architecture, military heritage, and proximity to the New River. Located within Onslow County, Jacksonville (and the City’s Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ)) is approximately 29.5 square miles, or 18,858 acres, in size. The canopy cover in Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville’s city (and ETJ) boundary, zoning, census block groups and parcels.

 

 

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FINDINGS

In 2020, Jacksonville had 41% tree canopy cover and 29% possible planting area, not including any surface water bodies within the city. Jacksonville’s total land cover contained 40% tree canopy, 31% non-canopy vegetation; 1% soil/dry vegetation; 25% impervious surfaces, and 3% water. The 7,619 acres of tree canopy in Jacksonville provide ecosystem benefits valued at over $2.8 million per year through air quality improvements, stormwater runoff prevention, and carbon sequestration. Results from this assessment found that canopy cover changed from 37% to 41% from 2014 to 2020 (+4% or 806 acres) using the current city boundary. Residential Single-Family 7 (RSF-7) District contained 42% of the entire city’s tree canopy cover and 43% of all PPA within Jacksonville.

 

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.

 

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NatureScore by Census Block Groups Jacksonville NC
Tree canopy Change by Zoning in Jacksonville North Carolina

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Urban Tree Canopy Assessment Insights

41%

Urban Tree Canopy Cover

29%

Possible Planting Area

25%

Impervious Surface