Cal Poly is teaming up with Cal Fire to develop a new statewide urban forestry plan. The goal is to combat the effects of climate change.
The project stems from a bill signed by Governor Gavin Newsom that aims to increase California’s urban canopy cover by 10% by 2035.
Cal Poly’s team will work with tribal nations, nonprofits and local governments across the state to address extreme heat. According to the university, planting more trees will provide shade to mitigate rising temperatures and will also improve air quality.
Cal Poly’s advanced mapping technology, which has already identified 40 million trees statewide using a neural network, will play a key role in the project. These insights will be used to strategize ways to expand canopy cover, especially in disadvantaged areas that are disproportionately affected by lack of shade.
