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LOUISVILLE TREE CANOPYTrees are critical to public health in Louisville. This is why we have launched an exploration and planning process centered on Louisville's trees and tree canopy.
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Trees for a healthy, equitable, and livable Louisville.
A healthy urban tree canopy offers a vast array of benefits to the Louisville community. From cooling shade that is critical in a warming climate, to better physical and mental health, and a host of environmental benefits including improved air quality, stormwater management, and critical wildlife habitat.
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Knowing that canopy loss was likely occurring, Louisville has taken major steps to understand and manage its urban forest. A 2015 Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) Assessment found that Louisville's tree canopy was indeed rapidly declining, and made it clear that it was time for action.
Over the next eight years, Trees Louisville, Louisville Metro, and other partners worked to put trees in the ground. An updated UTC in 2022 had encouraging findings. The planting efforts paid off, and Louisville's tree canopy had grown. However, although Louisville's canopy didn't decrease across the board between those years, many neighborhoods individually still saw decreases in tree canopy. In fact, 10 of Louisville's 26 council districts are still either at or below 30% tree canopy cover. Tree canopy in Louisville has seen a lot of changes in the past two decades and is still vulnerable to tree loss from population growth and development pressure, as well as natural threats such as Emerald Ash Borer. For this reason, the Louisville community is developing an urban forest master plan (UFMP). The plan is a partnership effort by Louisville Metro Government, Trees Louisville, and their project partners. Learn more about the UFMP process and read about the latest progress and updates. |
Coming Up Next:The Discovery Phase of this project ended on September 1, 2024. We have compiled all feedback and data collected throughout Discovery here. Next Up: 
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What is an Urban Forest?
An urban forest refers to all the trees in a city's boundary, whether they are in a city owned park, a privately owned home, or anywhere else. The amount of land shaded by trees is referred to as the tree canopy. In Louisville, 39% of the city is shaded by trees. Learn more about Louisville's tree canopy.
What is an Urban Forest Master Plan?
An Urban Forest Master Plan is a strategic plan to improve a community's urban forest. The plan is created by assessing the current health and distribution of Louisville's trees and by engaging with residents, stakeholders, and the community at large to determine needs, set goals, and provide recommendations for the steps needed to achieve those goals. Learn more about the master planning process.
An urban forest refers to all the trees in a city's boundary, whether they are in a city owned park, a privately owned home, or anywhere else. The amount of land shaded by trees is referred to as the tree canopy. In Louisville, 39% of the city is shaded by trees. Learn more about Louisville's tree canopy.
What is an Urban Forest Master Plan?
An Urban Forest Master Plan is a strategic plan to improve a community's urban forest. The plan is created by assessing the current health and distribution of Louisville's trees and by engaging with residents, stakeholders, and the community at large to determine needs, set goals, and provide recommendations for the steps needed to achieve those goals. Learn more about the master planning process.
A special thank you to the Louisville Free Public Library Foundation for donating 100 copies of Racist Roots by Christine Carmichael to be distributed throughout this project. This is a book that explores how racism has affected trees and people in our cities, and what we can do about it.
