Tree canopy coverage and heat maps – Milang

The canopy cover and radiant temperature visualisation maps for Milang are shown below:

Aerial imagery showing Milang’s canopy coverage on the left, and the heat map of the township (radiant temperature visualisation) on the right. Data was captured on 14 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, Milang had a tree canopy cover of 11.7%.

The results for Milang are as follows:

Tree canopy cover across Milang

The township total area of Milang is 313.2 hectares (ha), with 36.17ha identified as the total canopy area. This equates to 11.7% total canopy coverage in Milang.

Tree canopy cover on private land

Most of the land in Milang is privately owned: 211.13ha of the township total area is private land, with 17.21ha of this contributing to the total canopy area. This means that 46.88% of the total canopy cover is found on private land.

Tree canopy cover on Council land

49.86% of the total canopy cover is on Council land: 90.39ha of the township total area is under Council’s care and control, with 18.30ha contributing to the total canopy area.

Tree canopy cover on Crown land

A very small percentage of land is Crown land: 11.68ha of the township total area is on Crown land, with 1.20ha of this contributing to the total canopy area. This equates to 3.26% total canopy coverage in Milang.

Radiant temperature of Milang

The radiant temperature visualisation (‘heat map’) undertaken for Milang (see above) clearly shows the cooling effect that tree canopies and the lake 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.