Explore Tree Canopy, Environmental, and Social Variables in Boston Neighborhoods

This bar chart shows how the percent tree canopy compares across Boston neighborhoods. Hover over each bar to see a corresponding shape in the radar plot below to see other social and environmental characteristics of that neighborhood. Each variable is displayed as a percentile for that measure compared to the other neighborhoods in Boston.

People over the age of 65, the non-white population, Hispanic/Latino population and people below the Federal Poverty Line are measured as a percentage of the total neighborhood population. Stormwater and flood zones are measured as a percentage of total land area that are estimated to be susceptible to flooding in 2050. The temperature variable represents ambient urban air temperature at 3pm on a late-July day in 2019. The difference across the city shows where lack of canopy cover and impervious surfaces create intense heat islands effects.

An equitable measure of tree canopy must extend beyond the physical number of trees planted to take into account the social benefits that trees provide through shade in parks, plazas and along sidewalks. Trees also provide invaluable ecosystem services, including stabilizing the soil, regulating air temperatures, especially around urban heat islands, reducing erosion, slowing and filtering stormwater, and mitigating anthropogenic climate change as they sequester carbon.