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Upper Arlington study finds 41% tree canopy, spots priority areas for new plantings
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Summary
A 2025 urban canopy assessment presented to Upper Arlington City Council shows the city's canopy at about 41%, identifies roughly 1,100 acres of plantable land (about 180 acres public), and recommends targeted planting, maintenance and community engagement to raise canopy in priority neighborhoods.
Sam, the city forester, presented results of a 2025 urban canopy assessment conducted with Davey Research Group and said the study found "41% tree canopy in the city." The consultant used recent NAIP imagery, parcel-level analysis and priority maps to guide where plantings would have the greatest environmental and socioeconomic impact.
The report showed uneven coverage across the city: some census blocks exceed 50% canopy while commercial areas and recreational parcels are below 35%. Sam said the city saw a roughly 22% net canopy gain from 2011 to 2025 but noted earlier losses were driven in part by Emerald Ash Borer infestations that removed many mature ash trees on public and private land.
Davey's analysis identified a little over 1,100 acres of plantable land within city limits but only about 18% of that (roughly 180 acres) is public property the city controls. "If we were to plant all of these 180 public land acres, we could increase our tree cover from 41% to 44%," Sam said, underscoring the limits on what the city can achieve without private-property participation.
The presentation recommended three core strategies: prioritize plantings where they maximize stormwater and heat-island benefits, follow "right tree, right place" principles to reduce future removals, and sustain proactive maintenance of city-managed trees. Staff also described use of TreeKeeper Canopy software linked to the street-tree inventory to model impacts, costs and project prioritization.
Council members asked about native species, incentives for private planting and whether the city should maintain a single citywide canopy goal. Sam said native trees are preferred when site conditions permit, but street-tree sites sometimes require hardier species because of salt, compacted soils and limited rooting space. He said the canopy assessment will inform an urban forestry master plan and suggested ordinance language and incentive programs be developed as part of that planning process.
The city plans to incorporate the assessment's recommendations into the upcoming master plan work, pursue public outreach to encourage private planting, and continue periodic canopy studies and the city's three-year street-tree inventory cycle. The forester recommended repeating canopy studies every eight to ten years to measure progress.
The city council received the presentation and asked staff to return with ordinance and policy recommendations tied to the master plan.
