Linking Past to Present - How History, Hurricanes, and Humans Impact Florida’s Urban Forests

Trees make our cities and urban areas more livable. provide many benefits, known as ecosystem services, to residents. Cities often management plans care for their trees increase the benefits provided by forests. These include goals tree cover. This study assessed cover in 300 Florida (U.S.A.) cities. Each city’s canopy coverage (a percentage of how much a city is covered leafy tops trees) was analyzed. The goal assess effects hurricanes, past land cover, local laws on total found that hurricanes can decrease coverage. It also type present before built predict Results some protect or enhance canopy, even face development natural disasters.