Fragmented forests: Tree cover, urban sprawl both increased in Southeast Michigan over the past 30 years

The seven-county Southeast Michigan study area used in a new University of Michigan analysis of the relationship between forested areas and urban sprawl. Image credit: Gounaridis et al. in Landscape Ecology, July 2020. Share on: Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn The extent of Southeast Michigan's tree canopy and its urban sprawl both increased between 1985 and 2015, according to a new University of Michigan study that used aerial photos and satellite images to map individual buildings and small patches of street trees. The researchers described the increase in forested area across the region as a positive finding. But their analysis also revealed that the region's forested lands grew increasingly fragmented due mainly to increased urban sprawl, interfering with the ability of plants and animals to disperse across the landscape. "Our results show that the forested landscapes of Southeast Michigan appear more fragmented and less cohesive in areas experiencing urban sprawl, in accordance with findings worldwide,” said study lead author Dimitrios Gounaridis, a postdoctoral research fellow at the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability's Urban Sustainability Research Group.