Analyzing Potential Tree-Planting Sites and Tree Coverage in Mexico City Using Satellite Imagery

Abstract

Locating potential tree-planting sites and analyzing tree canopy cover is important in the planning and management of urban forests. This paper reports the quantification of potential planting sites as well as tree canopy cover in the urban area of Mexico City, estimated by means of SPOT (Satellite Pour l’Observation de la Terre) 6 satellite images and a supervised pixel-based classification approach. Results showed an estimated area of 3100.7 ha of potentially useful sites, including places with bare soil and grass-covered areas such as median strips, roundabouts and parks. An average tree canopy cover of 10.6% and an average impervious surface of 79.2% for the 15 boroughs were also analyzed. The area of potential planting sites would represent a 5% gain for the current tree canopy cover if it were to be planted. With an overall accuracy of 92.4%, the use of both images from the SPOT 6 sensor and the classification approach proved to be appropriate for obtaining thematic covers in the urban environment of Mexico City.

Keywords

• geographic information system
• planting site
• SPOT 6 satellite image
• urban green area