COLUMBIA, Mo. – Researchers at the University of Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership (MoRAP) are creating digital maps to help state and federal agencies and nonprofit groups study which St. Louis neighborhoods need more trees.

Research shows that urban residents who live in neighborhoods with trees are happier and healthier than people who live in barren areas. Trees also benefit neighborhoods by making them cooler and quieter.

Through a partnership with the Taylor Geospatial Institute, MoRAP works with Saint Louis University and MU Extension’s Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems to look at relationships between tree cover and socioeconomic markers, says MU Extension state natural resource specialist Michael Sunde.

This pool of data provides urban planners with a model to consider for tree planting options in the St. Louis urban region to create smart, resilient communities, Sunde says.

MU researchers layer maps of trees with geospatial data products from federal and state agencies to give urban planners a total picture of a community. When melded with census data, researchers can study the relationship between a neighborhood’s tree population and its socioeconomic makeup.

Sunde and his MoRAP team will publish results soon at stltrees.datahubs.org.

Trees – how many and what kind – are often associated with race, ethnicity, income and educational attainment, according to research by the U.S. Forest Service. The study asks, “Does money grow on trees or do trees grow on money?”

Recent research shows that trees may affect the mental and physical health of urban residents. Studies have found relationships between urban tree canopy cover in urban neighborhoods and childhood obesity, fatigue, worker attitudes and stress.

The U.S. study also showed how shade from tree canopies can reduce heat in urban neighborhoods. Other benefits are improved aesthetics and noise reduction.

Less obvious benefits such as stronger social cohesion and community empowerment make compelling arguments on why trees benefit all neighborhoods, says Sunde.

A new drone will help MoRAP capture images for agricultural research, such as the MU Certified Strip Trial Program, which studies complex issues such as nitrogen management and erosion. The drone has a Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) sensor that measures vegetation and surface heights in detail.

The Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership was established in 1996 to address the need for the development, analysis and delivery of geospatial and remotely sensed data. The MoRAP staff includes Sunde, ecologist David Diamond, vegetation ecologist Lee Elliott and GIS specialist Phillip Hanberry. For more information, go to https://morap.missouri.edu.