Tamil Nadu: Urban Tree, Green Space Assessment and Census

TERI is undertaking a comprehensive assessment of urban trees and green spaces in Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, and Salem on behalf of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.

Project Overview

The project aims to develop a georeferenced inventory of urban trees and green assets. By combining high-resolution remote sensing, GIS, Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA), and Artificial Intelligence with sample-based field verification, the study will map:

• Green-space extent and canopy density
• Ecological connectivity and public accessibility
• Individual tree crowns
• Field-based metrics (species diversity, diameter at breast height, crown spread, overall tree health, and geo-tagged photographs)

Assessing Ecosystem Services

A key focus of the study is evaluating the vital ecosystem services these green spaces provide to urban environments, including:

• Climate & Air: Carbon storage, carbon sequestration, and urban cooling.
• Water & Biodiversity: Stormwater regulation and biodiversity support.
• Quality of Life: Overall improvement of urban environmental quality.
• Ultimately, these insights will be used to identify priority areas for targeted tree planting, habitat restoration, and enhanced green-space management.

Key Outputs

The project will deliver an actionable suite of tools and data for long-term planning, including:

• City-Wise Maps: Detailed tree and green-space mapping for all six cities.
• Validated Databases: A robust field database and ecosystem-service assessment layers.
• Digital Infrastructure: An integrated GIS geodatabase and an interactive decision-support dashboard.
• Strategic Blueprint: Actionable recommendations to help the Tamil Nadu Forest Department and Urban Local Bodies strengthen urban green infrastructure.