Now you will investigate your own community’s Tree Equity Score. You will explore an interactive map and collect some data points to paint the picture of Tree Equity. This will help you gain an understanding of:

• What is Tree Equity Score
• The factors that contribute to the score.
• The social, health and environmental interconnections in your community.

In addition, the prompts will help you draw the connection between quantitative data and the lived experience of the community. It is important to elevate residents’ knowledge alongside other kinds of expertise. Residents have developed skills and understandings from their local environment that tell their own story. It’s important to acknowledge the strengths and limitations of each type of information and consider how they can complement one another to reveal a more complete view of the community. The below question prompts may help you draw these connections.

Tree Equity Score Exercise

Instructions: Using the table and prompts below, you will use Tree Equity Score to collect information about your community. You will access Tree Equity Score by going to www.treeequityscore.org and search for your city or town’s name. If you already feel comfortable navigating the tool you can jump right into the questions, but if you need more guidance on how to use the tool, follow the instructions attached to the downloadable version of this exercise below.

Access a downloadable version of this exercise. Tree Equity Score Exercise

1. How does this data fit in with your own experience and observations of the community? Does it differ? If so, in what ways?
2. Is there anything surprising about this data? If so, what was unexpected?
3. What feelings or thoughts about the community does the data bring up for you? Is there anything the data doesn’t show?
4. Are you familiar with the past development decisions and practices that have impacted the community? How do you think those past decisions contribute to what you see and feel today?