Urban tree canopies are in perpetual motion. New tree plantings and existing tree growth add canopy, while development, natural disasters, disease, and pests take it away. These changes can be hard to gauge from the ground, but tree canopy change can be precisely tracked by analyzing aerial imagery from the past and present. This assessment evaluated urban tree canopy (UTC), possible planting area (PPA), and tree canopy change from 2013 to 2021 for 488 registered municipalities and Census Designated Places (CDP) in Florida. The urban forest is an invaluable asset for the State of Florida, providing residents and visitors with meaningful, quantifiable environmental, social, and economic benefits. This assessment can be used for data-driven decision-making by the Florida Forest Service and all municipalities and other stakeholders of Florida’s urban forest. Current canopy goals, policies, ordinances, management practices, and priorities can be amended based on the results provided herein. By highlighting areas where current efforts are working well, but also areas where improvement is needed, this assessment serves as a strategic compass for future planning efforts.

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