The City of Austin has announced it will replace its Community Tree Priority Map with the Tree Equity Score as the main tool for urban forestry planning. This move, led by Austin Climate Action & Resilience’s Urban Forest Program, aims to support a more equitable approach to expanding and maintaining tree canopy throughout the city.
According to city officials, trees in Austin are seen as vital infrastructure that provide shade, improve air quality, host wildlife, and contribute to public health. However, not all neighborhoods have equal access to these benefits. The new Tree Equity Score is intended to help address this disparity.
Tree Equity Score is a nationally recognized framework that combines data on tree canopy cover, income, employment, health indicators, and heat burden into a single score. The tool is designed to identify communities most in need of investment in trees and related resources. By adopting this tool, Austin aligns itself with national best practices for urban forestry and increases transparency for residents. The methodology and data used by the Tree Equity Score are publicly available and updated regularly; a Spanish-language version was recently added to expand accessibility.
“This shift also allows City staff to spend less time maintaining datasets and recalibrating indicators, and more time advancing implementation, partnerships, and canopy expansion on the ground,” according to city officials.
In neighborhoods such as East Riverside-Oltorf—where the Tree Equity Score is 66 and tree canopy cover is only 11%—the tool highlights areas where increased planting can help reduce heat disparities. In this neighborhood, temperatures can be over 10 degrees higher than the citywide average.
“Addressing this gap is vital to supporting this diverse community, particularly in mitigating heat disparity…and ensuring environmental benefits are accessible to all residents regardless of language or racial background,” according to city representatives.
The City says it will use the Tree Equity Score as a baseline for planning activities like tree distribution strategies and reviewing Urban Forest Grant applications. While data will guide decision-making processes, local expertise and community input remain essential.
“The transition directly supports the Austin Climate Equity Plan’s goal to achieve at least 50% citywide tree canopy cover by 2050, with a focus on increasing canopy cover equitably. Designing equity into projects from the outset improves long-term outcomes and ensures that public investments are responsive to community needs. Tree Equity Score strengthens this approach by providing a consistent, transparent foundation for prioritizing investment.”
This change affects various stakeholders including nonprofit organizations, arborists, Youth Forest Council interns, grant applicants, municipal partners, and Urban Forestry staff. Those who previously relied on the Community Tree Priority Map will now reference the Tree Equity Score for understanding conditions across Austin.
As part of its broader vision for sustainable development and livability outlined on its official website, Austin manages historic sites such as Oakwood Cemetery and Zilker Botanical Garden within its park system according to city records. The City operates with an annual budget of $5.9 billion and employs more than 16,000 staff members across various departments.
Austin emphasizes diversity and inclusion as key organizational values and has received high ratings for its services compared to other large cities.
City officials encourage residents to explore local Tree Equity Scores at treeequityscore.org or reach out via email at thinktrees@austintexas.gov for further information.
