Sources & Data

13% figure cited by Cal Poly biological sciences professor Jenn Yost in the context of the Cal Poly/CAL FIRE urban forestry strategic plan partnership. Compared to a California urban area average of 19%. No standalone i-Tree Eco report PDF was located for SLO specifically. Treat as LOW CONFIDENCE until a primary study is located.

Searched for SLO-specific i-Tree Eco analysis and USDA ecosystem service valuation. No published dollar figure found for San Luis Obispo's urban forest annual benefit. The city manages 20,000+ public trees but no aggregate valuation study was located.

No SLO-specific urban heat island or tree cooling study located. EPA general guidance suggests 2-9 degrees Fahrenheit for evapotranspiration cooling but this is national-scale, not SLO-specific.

No tree inventory or planting site count published for San Luis Obispo was found. The city's 10 Tall initiative targets 10,000 new trees by 2035 but does not publish a total potential planting sites figure.

Aggregated from 31 Census block groups. 3 priority areas (TES < 60).

Mean difference between current canopy coverage and recommended goal across all block groups.

Calculated by applying USDA Forest Service rate constants to canopy area data from American Forests. Carbon uses 0.28 kg C/m²/yr (Nowak et al., 2013); stormwater uses 7.3 gal/m²/yr. Tools like i-Tree Eco and Tree Equity Score use local models that account for precipitation, species, and leaf area, so their figures will differ. These estimates are designed for consistent comparison across cities, not as a replacement for a site-specific tree inventory.