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Urban Forest Data, Analysis and Monitoring

An aerial view of a city neighborhood, showing a line of trees surrounded by houses.

The DNR maintains a variety of data collection programs to assess the composition, health and extent of Wisconsin’s urban forests. Major monitoring efforts include compiling public tree inventories, establishing long-term urban forest plots, and assessing canopy cover from aerial imagery. More details on these programs are below, while additional resources and research projects from partners are also available.

See updates and recent analyses related to Urban Forestry data, analysis and monitoring.

Wisconsin Community Tree Map

The Wisconsin Community Tree Map is a compilation of tree inventories from across the state, showing individual trees that are found along streets, in parks and other publicly maintained spaces. The map also calculates some of the benefit values that those trees provide, such as the reduction of air pollution and stormwater.

Learn how to conduct a tree inventory in your community.

Urban Forest Inventory and Analysis (UFIA)

The UFIA program establishes long-term plots across public and private land in urban areas through Wisconsin, enabling an intensive understanding of the state’s urban forest, as well as insight into how it is changing.

Urban Tree Canopy

An urban tree canopy analysis provides an overview of communities’ land cover patterns, particularly their tree canopy cover. Understanding tree canopy coverage is vital to recognizing the distribution of trees and the benefits they provide to humans and other wildlife.

Download GIS data, look-up your community’s tree cover, and learn how to set tree canopy goals.

Economic Analysis of Wisconsin's Urban Forests

Wisconsin’s urban forests (trees in cities, suburbs and other developed areas) are an important component of natural resources, making significant economic contributions to local, state and national economies.

In a ground-breaking study led by the Wisconsin DNR, a comprehensive analysis of the economic contributions of urban and community forestry was completed across Wisconsin and fifteen other states within the Northeast-Midwest region. To see Wisconsin’s economic impact numbers, employment number, industry outlook and a resource valuation, view the Economic Contributions of Urban Forests subsection of our Forestry and the Wisconsin Economy page.