BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – If you’ve ever wondered how shady your neighborhood is, a new online tool is pining to answer all your needling questions.
The state Department of Natural Resources has partnered with American Forests to create the Tree Equity Score Analyzer.
The free online map looks at how the number of trees in any given neighborhood contributes to the health of residents and how temperature is affected by tree cover.
Overall, the Bellingham has an average Tree Equity score of 85 out of 100.
Many individual sections within city limits received a perfect 100, with temperatures cooling as much as 17 degrees compared to other parts of the city with fewer trees.
All of Point Roberts and the Sudden Valley areas also received total scores of 100.
Ferndale received a total score of 74, Birch Bay came in at 81, while Lynden and Blaine had scores of 58 and 61, respectively.
Each region has a recommended canopy cover suggestion that could improve shade and an area’s overall physical health.
My Bellingham Now previously reported that the City of Bellingham recently extended an ordinance that protects landmark trees from being cut down for development.
The ordinance was enacted, in part, to regulate climate conditions such as temperature.
