McDonald et al. data on tree cover (2014-2016) at the US census block level for the 100 largest urbanized areas

This dataset is associated with the McDonald et al. paper, entitled "The urban tree cover and temperature disparity in US urbanized areas: Quantifying the effect of income across 5,723 communities". Urban tree cover provides benefits to human health and well-being, but previous studies suggest that tree cover is often inequitably distributed. Here, we use NAIP imagery to survey the tree cover inequality for Census blocks in US large urbanized areas, home to 167 million people across 5,723 municipalities and other places. We compared tree cover to summer surface temperature, as measured using Thematic Mapper imagery. In 92% of the urbanized areas surveyed, low-income blocks have less tree cover than high-income blocks. On average, low-income blocks have 15.2% less tree cover and are 1.5⁰C hotter (surface temperature) than high-income blocks. The greatest difference between low- and high-income blocks was found in urbanized areas in the Northeast of the United States, where low-income blocks often have at least 30% less tree cover and are at least 4.0⁰C hotter. Even after controlling for population density and built-up intensity, the association between income and tree cover is significant, as is the association between race and tree cover. We estimate, after controlling for population density, that low-income blocks have 62 million fewer trees than high-income blocks, a compensatory value of $56 billion dollars ($1,349/person). An investment in tree planting and natural regeneration of $17.6 billion would close the tree cover disparity for 42 million people in low-income blocks.