Hazard & Disaster Risk - Tree Canopy (Midwest Conservation Blueprint 2026 Indicator)

<p style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:normal; margin:0px 0px 0in; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'><strong>Definition</strong></p><p style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:normal; margin:0px 0px 0in; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'>This indicator identifies the vulnerability of communities to impacts of hazards and other community-level stressors, which can include natural or human-caused disasters. It prioritizes areas based on tree canopy cover need in populated areas based on existing tree canopy, surface temperature, socioeconomic factors, and health factors. Pixels can take the following values:</p><ul><li>1 – Moderate tree canopy need, not a natural asset&nbsp;</li><li>2 – Moderate tree canopy need, natural assets&nbsp;</li><li>3 – High tree canopy need, not a natural asset&nbsp;</li><li>4 – High tree canopy need, natural assets&nbsp;</li><li>5 – Highest tree canopy need, not a natural asset</li><li>6 – Highest tree canopy need, natural assets</li></ul><p style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:normal; margin:0px 0px 0in; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'><strong>Selection</strong></p><p style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:normal; margin:0px 0px 0in; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'>This indicator was chosen as a targetable, important feature of the MLI goals that will be used to track conditions over time and prioritize areas for conservation. Indicators were defined through elicitation and prioritization exercises with federal and state participants. Criteria for the indicators includes 1) actionable, 2) measurable, 3) relevant to multiple groups across the region, and/or 4) representative of other social and/or environmental values.</p><p style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:normal; margin:0px 0px 0in; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'>&nbsp;</p><p style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:normal; margin:0px 0px 0in; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'><strong>Input Data &amp; Mapping Steps</strong></p><p style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:normal; margin:0px 0px 0in; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'>This indicator originates from American Forests Tree Equity Score. To create this layer, MLI partners, members, and staff completed the following mapping steps: projected all input data to NAD83 (2011) UTM Zone 15N, converted the polygon layer to a 30m raster, and classified the raster into four classes: NoData – Most equitable areas, low tree canopy need (Tree Equity Score of 90-100), 1 – Moderate need (Tree Equity Score of 80-89), 3 – High need (Tree Equity Score of 70-79), 5 – Highest need (Tree Equity Score of 0-69). Next, we emphasized natural assets within each Tree Equity need category, resulting in a raster with values ranging from 1-6. Finally, we removed highly altered areas using our Highly Altered Areas mask.</p><p style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:normal; margin:0px 0px 0in; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'>&nbsp;</p><p style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:normal; margin:0px 0px 0in; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'>For full mapping details, please refer to the&nbsp;<a style='border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(0, 97, 155); font-family:inherit; line-height:1.5; text-decoration:none;' target='_blank' href='https://fws.maps.arcgis.com/sharing/rest/content/items/e983a4ff0f6d475cb9336fba1c1fbbaa/data' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>Midwest Conservation Blueprint Development Process</a>. For a complete download of all Blueprint input and output data, visit the&nbsp;<a target='_blank' href='https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/69851105b66b018dbd961c58' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>Midwest Conservation Blueprint 2026 Data Download.</a></p>