Greater Sydney Canopy Cover

We use canopy cover data in much of our work as it is an important tool to assist in strategically planning for and managing green infrastructure. Accurate canopy data can inform decisions on where to prioritise tree planting, allocate resources, and implement effective urban forestry programs, ultimately enhancing tree canopy, mitigating urban heat island effects, and improving overall urban liveability. However, canopy cover is not the only metric that should be used to determine the viability of an urban forest. Other metrics including tree diversity, health and age class should also be used to accurately understand the condition of an urban forest, this data is best informed by a detailed on-ground tree inventory.

Greater Sydney is very fortunate to have a highly accurate data set for canopy cover. This data has been provided by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure 2023 and was acquired by ArborCarbon Pty Ltd using their high-resolution imagery.