Clarksville Health and Air Quality: Assessing Urban Tree Canopy to Inform Heat Mitigation Strategies in Clarksville, TN

Clarksville, Tennessee has experienced a steep population increase in the last few years, outpacing every other Tennessee city. This rise has led to an increase in urban development, and subsequently, a loss in tree canopy by half in the last seven years. Losses in canopy and expansion of impervious surface cover results in higher rates of surface absorption of solar radiation, leading to increased heat stress throughout the city. The City of Clarksville and the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council partnered with NASA DEVELOP to leverage ECOSTRESS, Landsat 8 TIRS and OLI, Landsat 9 TIRS-2 and OLI-2, and PlanetScope data to assess urban heat trends and tree canopy distribution. By incorporating both satellite and census tract data, we mapped the spatial distribution of vegetation and land surface temperature over time, finding areas of poor vegetation, land surface temperature rise, and up to a 35° Fahrenheit temperature increase in urban Clarksville versus rural areas. We also created a socio-environmental restoration priority map that showcased communities most affected by urban heat and in need of immediate mitigation strategy implementation. Our analyses and visual aids provided our partners with resources for understanding possible urban heat and vegetation trends, as well as informing future mitigation efforts, particularly tree planting sites. Each one of these visual aids, including an environmental restoration priority map, can feasibly be used in Clarksville’s future planning decisions.