Assessing the Tree Canopy in Jefferson County, WV

Jarlath O’Neil-DunneUniversity of VermontSpatial Analysis Laboratory

Tree Canopy AssessmentQuestions Answers

How much tree canopy do we have?

How much tree canopy could we have?

Who “owns” the tree canopy?

What is the distribution of the tree canopy?

TC Metrics

Possible TC

Vegetation

Impervious

Existing TC

Approach

• High resolution• Object based• >95% accuracy• Realistic

representationLand Cover

Mapping

• Summary statistics

• Scalable• Relevant

TC Metrics • Reports

• Database tables• Spreadsheet• Maps

Products

Tree Canopy Assessment Classes

Existing TC

Possible TC

ImperviousVegetation

Jefferson County, WV

Leveraging Existing Investments

Buildings

Transportation

LiDAR

Imagery

Jefferson County, WV

Comparison to National Datasets

100% 0%

National LandCover Dataset

TCLand Cover

38%

30%

Color InfraredAerial Imagery

TC EstimatesDerived from 2007 aerial imagery, 1m resolution

Derived from 2001 satellite imagery, 30m resolution

Tree CanopyGrass/ShrubBare EarthWaterBuildingsRoadsOther Paved Surfaces

Jefferson County, WV

Land Cover MetricsJefferson County, WV

County TC Metrics• 133661 acres of land (excludes water)

• 50603 acres of Existing TC

• 75807 acres of Possible TC that is grass/shrub

• 3055 acres of Possible TC that is impervious

• 4197 acres are not suitable for tree canopy (building, water, and transportation)

Jefferson County, WV

Municipal AnalysisExisting TC

15%16% - 21%22% - 46%47% - 49%50% - 69%

Possible TC19%20% - 30%31% - 33%34% - 70%71% - 78%

Existing TC15%16% - 21%22% - 46%47% - 49%50% - 69%

Possible TC19%20% - 30%31% - 33%34% - 70%71% - 78%

Jefferson County, WV

Municipal TC MetricsJefferson County, WV

Zoning Analysis

N/A

Incorporated Town

Industrial-Commercial

Residential-Growth

Residential-Light Industrial-Commercial

Rural

Village

Jefferson County, WV

Zoning AnalysisExisting TC

2% - 15%16% - 28%29% - 40%41% - 58%59% - 100%

Possible TC0% - 26%27% - 41%42% - 58%59% - 77%78% - 93%

Jefferson County, WV

Zoning TC MetricsJefferson County, WV

Urban Growth Center AnalysisJefferson County, WV

Existing TC18%

19% - 21%

22% - 51%

52% - 60%

Possible TC31%

32% - 41%

42% - 72%

73% - 76%

Urban Growth Center TC Metrics

Jefferson County, WV

Hydrologic Basin AnalysisJefferson County, WV

Existing TC19% - 26%27% - 39%40% - 45%46% - 60%61% - 92%

Possible TC7% - 14%15% - 40%41% - 60%61% - 67%68% - 80%

Hydrologic Basin TC MetricsJefferson County, WV

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000

Opequon

Potomac

Shenandoah

Acres

Existing UTC

Possible UTC Vegetation

Possible UTC Impervious

Not Suitable

Slope Analysis

Slope Class (Old)0-9.9%10-14.9%15-19.9%20-24.9%25-29.9%30-34.9%>35%

Slope Class (New)0-14.9%15-24.9%25-49.9%>50%

LiDAR-derived DEMElevation

High : 300

Low : 70

DEM Old Slope Classes New Slope Classes

Jefferson County, WV

Slope TC MetricsN

ew S

lope

C

lass

esO

ld S

lope

Cla

sses

Jefferson County, WV

Blue Ridge Mountains AnalysisJefferson County, WV

LiDAR-derived DEMElevation

High : 300

Low : 70

Comparison to Other CitiesJefferson County, WV

27%

49%46%

38%

43%

9%

49%

27%32%

14%

62%50%

41%38%

49%

21%

69%

15%

46%

26%27%

20%

44%

37%30%

39%38%

35%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Not Suitable

% Possible Tree Canopy -Impervious

% Possible Tree Canopy -Vegetation

% Tree Canopy -Land Area