Cincinnati has twice the tree canopy of Columbus and Cleveland
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Cincinnati has roughly twice the tree canopy coverage of Columbus and Cleveland, giving the Queen City a sizable shade advantage.
Why it matters: Trees help reduce extreme heat, absorb stormwater and lower cooling costs. But Cincinnati's leafy reputation masks significant disparities between neighborhoods.
By the numbers: The latest official figures published by each city put Cincinnati's tree canopy at 43% as of 2020, compared with 22% in Columbus (2021) and 18% in Cleveland (2017).
- The assessments cover different years, so the comparisons aren't perfectly apples-to-apples.
- Cincinnati's canopy grew between 2011 and 2020, according to the city's assessment.
Zoom in: Downtown, Camp Washington and Queensgate are among Cincinnati's least-shaded neighborhoods.
- The city's Green Cincinnati Plan calls for maintaining at least 40% canopy citywide while expanding coverage in underserved areas.
The in(tree)gue: Cincinnati Parks' proposed FY2027 forestry budget totals roughly $3.3 million, including $800,000 for tree planting.
- The city's ReLeaf program has distributed more than 27,000 free trees in recent decades, prioritizing neighborhoods with less than 40% canopy.
What they're saying: Claire Carlson, Green Umbrella's greenspace alliance manager for the region, wrote in an email that expanding canopy isn't as simple as planting more trees.
- "In order to plant trees in a community that lacks them (which often features a lot of man-made surfaces such as cement), you have to remove that cement. This is a long and arduous process which is not easy to fund."
- Among the other obstacles: limited maintenance staff and residents wary of trees damaging sidewalks.
- "Choosing the right trees that are non-invasive and low maintenance is also important," Carlson tells Axios.
The bottom line: Cincinnati may be ahead of its big-city neighbors, but the challenge is making sure more residents benefit from that shade.