[2.19] Changes in Canopy Cover As of this strategy, Cork City Council has analysed tree canopy coverage and tree location data within the city from 2018 and 2021. Overall, the city experienced a slight canopy loss during this period, dropping from 13.8% in 2018 to 13.4% in 2021. A breakdown of the changes to canopy coverage within city subareas is shown in Figure 2. 8. The amount of tree canopy cover held steady between 2018 and 2021 in the hinterland. However, there was a loss of tree canopy across the city centre, the city suburbs and the urban towns.
Cover 2018
20%
Cover 2021
15%
10%
5%
0%
Urban Town South East City
North East City
South West City
Hinterland City Centre North West City
Figure 2.8 Tree Canopy Cover by City Area, 2018 and 2021
An assessment of net canopy coverage loss was also carried out as part of this strategy. Net tree canopy loss occurs when new canopy growth is not enough to counterbalance the canopy losses that occur due to either the pruning or complete removal of trees. Figure 2.9 shows the estimate of growth compared to loss for the city subareas within the city.
80
Est. Loss from removal
70
Est. Loss from pruning
60
New Growth
50
40
30
20
10
0
Hinterland
Urban towns
South East Suburbs
South West Suburbs
North East Suburbs
City Centre North West Suburbs
Figure 2.9 Canopy Losses and Gains by Area, 2018-2021
Initial data analysis indicates that the single largest category of canopy loss was the cumulative impact of removal and pruning in residential gardens. There are many reasons this might have occurred, including storm damage, tree disease, trees reaching the end of life, addressing impacts on amenity (e.g., loss of light) or liability concerns. Analysis indicates that the second largest area of canopy loss is related to road verges. The third largest area relates to removal associated with land development.
[ Baseline and Trends ]
20
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