Chicago study links more urban tree cover to fewer deaths

Neighbourhoods in Chicago that lost more tree canopy also recorded higher mortality rates. (Representational photo) Tree canopy loss in cities may be linked to higher death rates, according to a new study. Researchers have found that Chicago neighbourhoods that lost more tree cover over 11 years also recorded higher mortality, especially in areas with hotter summer temperatures. Researchers say the findings show that cities should not only plant new trees but also protect mature ones.The study was published in the journal GeoHealth, Science X reported. Researchers examined annual changes in tree canopy between 2011 and 2021 and compared them with more than 220,000 death records from the same period. I"Previous studies have mostly looked at how health outcomes are associated with static tree canopy coverage," says the study's senior author Daniel Horton of Northwestern University."These snapshot-style studies looked at mortality rates and the tree canopy at one moment in time. But cities and their tree canopies constantly change, so we looked at how the canopy and death rates change over the years. We found that as tree canopy decreases, mortality increases," Horton adds.Tree canopy...