An Environmental Assessment of School Shade Tree Canopy and Implications for Sun Safety Policies: The Los Angeles Unified School District

April Moreno,Brian Hilton,John Tangenberg,June Hilton

doi:10.3390/ijgi4020607

April Moreno, Brian Hilton + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi4020607

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Abstract

In an effort to reforest school sites with limited resources, communities and non-profits have implemented projects on Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) school sites, often without thought for the best location, long-term maintenance, or appropriateness of the tree type. Although studies exist related to sun safety policies in schools, there has been little emphasis on the environmental public health benefits of trees in public schools. The LAUSD School Shade Tree Canopy Study was a response to this issue in which data was analyzed (a total of 33,729 trees in the LAUSD were mapped) regarding tree canopy coverage, pervious/impervious areas, and buildings for 509 elementary schools to assess urban forestry management issues and environmental injustices within communities of the district. The results of these analyses indicate that there is a wide range of school site size, tree canopy coverage as a percentage of school site size, tree canopy coverage as a percentage of play area, and percentage of unpaved surface play areas (e.g., (~20%) of the schools have both (0.0%) tree canopy coverage play areas and 100% paved surfaces). This finding alone has implications in how the LAUSD may implement sun safe polices which would aid in preventing skin cancer and other adverse health outcomes for students within the school district.

Highlights

IntroductionMore than 80 percent of the U.S population resides in urban areas, a number that is expected to increase; these areas are often associated with environmental and social inequities, such as disproportionate levels of air and water pollution, loss of biodiversity, and increased rates of poverty [1]
This paper reports on the School Shade Tree Canopy Study performed for the Los Angeles Unified
The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) School Shade Tree Canopy Study was a response to this issue in which data was acquired and analyzed regarding tree canopy cover, pervious/impervious areas, and buildings for 509 elementary schools to assess urban forestry management issues and environmental injustices within communities, often with socioeconomic disadvantaged (SED) status

Summary

Introduction

More than 80 percent of the U.S population resides in urban areas, a number that is expected to increase; these areas are often associated with environmental and social inequities, such as disproportionate levels of air and water pollution, loss of biodiversity, and increased rates of poverty [1]. Research regarding the urban environment [3,4,5] has commonly centered on urban ecosystem analysis [6,7]; a methodology for establishing the environmental and economic benefits of trees within a specified area. Trees provide direct benefits in the form of reduced stormwater runoff, improved air and water quality, and increased carbon sequestration. Trees provide indirect benefits, such as reducing local ambient air temperatures through evapotranspiration, which in turn reduces air-conditioning use and carbon emissions from energy production. Trees provide communities with many valuable services that can be measured in terms of quantifiable benefits [8,9,10] and may include:

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