Tree canopy coverage and heat maps – Clayton Bay
The canopy cover and radiant temperature visualisation maps for Clayton Bay are shown below:
Aerial imagery showing Clayton Bay’s canopy coverage on the left, and the heat map of the township (radiant temperature visualisation) on the right. Data was captured on 4 February 2022. © Active Green Services
In 2022, Council commissioned a study to establish a benchmark of tree canopy cover and radiant temperature visualisation (‘heat maps’) across 11 townships in Alexandrina. The study assessed high-resolution satellite imagery using artificial intelligence. Thermal imaging (infrared) was also acquired and correlated to the canopy layer by linking the data geospatially via an ESRI© application.
The overall canopy cover averaged 17.6% across Alexandrina’s 11 townships; ranging from 11.7% to 49.3%.
The study showed that in February 2022, Clayton Bay had a tree canopy cover of 14.3%.
The results for Clayton Bay are as follows:
Tree canopy cover across Clayton Bay
The township total area of Clayton Bay is 235.9 hectares (ha), with 33.66 ha identified as the total canopy area. This equates to 14.3% total canopy coverage in Clayton Bay.
Tree canopy cover on private land
Most of the land in Clayton Bay is privately owned: 176.59ha of the township total area is private land, with 27.17ha of this contributing to the total canopy area. This means that 80.71% of the total canopy cover is found on private land.
Tree canopy cover on Council land
18.94% of the total canopy cover is on Council land: 59.09ha of the township area is under Council’s care and control, with 6.37ha of this contributing to the total canopy area.
Tree canopy cover on Crown land
A very small percentage of land is Crown land: 0.21ha of the township area is Crown land, with 0.12 ha contributing to the total canopy area. This equates to 0.34% total canopy coverage in Clayton Bay.
Radiant temperature of Clayton Bay
The radiant temperature visualisation (‘heat map’) undertaken for Clayton Bay (see above) clearly shows the cooling effect that tree canopies and open water bodies provide.
The hottest areas are found in paddocks as relative radiant temperature of open parks and fields can be high compared to treed areas.
It is important to note is that radiant temperatures are not air temperatures. Satellite sensing is typically done at night. Radiant heat is measured as infrared spectral intensity and expressed as temperature mathematically, through prior research using controlled experiments correlating the influence of surface temperatures on perception of heat by a collective of people.
To go back to the main page of the Tree Canopy Report and links to other townships, click here.