Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on LawnStarter.
Which U.S. counties have lost the most tree canopy coverage?
To find out, LawnStarter ranked U.S. counties based on fast they are going bald.
We compared over 3,100 U.S. counties based on the net percentage and net change in tree cover (in kilo hectares) between 2000 and 2020 using data from Global Forest Watch. (One kilo hectare is equal to 2,471 acres.)
To learn more about how we ranked the counties, see our methodology at the end.
1. Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, AK
- Overall Score: 98.39
- Tree Loss Ranking: 1
2. Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK
- Overall Score: 33.56
- Tree Loss Ranking: 2
3. Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK
- Overall Score: 33.38
- Tree Loss Ranking: 3
4. Idaho County, ID
- Overall Score: 32.92
- Tree Loss Ranking: 4
5. Okanogan County, WA
- Overall Score: 32.12
- Tree Loss Ranking: 5
6. Valley County, ID
- Overall Score: 31.99
- Tree Loss Ranking: 6
7. Flathead County, MT
- Overall Score: 31.23
- Tree Loss Ranking: 7
8. Douglas County, OR
- Overall Score: 30.72
- Tree Loss Ranking: 8
9. Shasta County, CA
- Overall Score: 30.57
- Tree Loss Ranking: 9
10. Aroostook County, ME
- Overall Score: 30.53
- Tree Loss Ranking: 10
11. Navajo County, AZ
- Overall Score: 30.37
- Tree Loss Ranking: 11
12. Custer County, ID
- Overall Score: 30.06
- Tree Loss Ranking: 12
13. Pennington County, SD
- Overall Score: 30.01
- Tree Loss Ranking: 13
14. Glasscock County, TX
- Overall Score: 29.86
- Tree Loss Ranking: 14
15. Denali Borough, AK
- Overall Score: 29.85
- Tree Loss Ranking: 15
Methodology
First, we determined the factors (metrics) that are most relevant to rank the Counties Going Bald: Tree Cover Loss Over 20 Years.
We then assigned a weight to each factor based on its importance and grouped those factors into one category: Tree Loss. Here are the factors:
- Net Percentage Change in Tree Cover (2000-2020)
- Net Change in Tree Cover (in kha) (2000-2020)
For each of the 3,132 U.S. counties with available data, we then gathered data on each factor.
Finally, we calculated scores (out of 100 points) for each county to determine its rank in each factor, each category, and overall. A county’s Overall Score is the average of its scores across all factors and categories. The highest Overall Score ranked “Most Tree Loss” (No. 1).
Note: Some location names (Census Area, Borough, or Municipality) are considered counties or their equivalents by the U.S. Census Bureau.
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