Tree canopy coverage and heat maps – Port Elliot
The canopy cover and radiant temperature visualisation maps for Port Elliot are shown below:
Aerial imagery showing Port Elliot’s canopy coverage on the left, and the heat map of the township (radiant temperature visualisation) on the right. Data was captured on 26 January 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 January 2022, Port Elliot had a tree canopy cover of 13.9%.
The results for Port Elliot are as follows:
Tree canopy cover across Port Elliot
The township total area of Port Elliot is 967.49 hectares (ha), with 134.54ha identified as the total canopy area. This equates to 13.9% total canopy coverage in Port Elliot.
Tree canopy cover on private land
Most of the land in Port Elliot is privately owned: 693.30ha of the township total area is private land, with 90.05ha of this contributing to the total canopy area. This means that 66.93% of the total canopy cover is found on private land.
Tree canopy cover on Council land
32.28% of the total canopy cover is on Council land: 264.32ha of the township total area is under Council’s care and control, with 43.43ha contributing to the total canopy area.
Tree canopy cover on Crown land
A very small percentage of land is Crown land: 9.87ha of the township total area is on Crown land, with 1.06ha of this contributing to the total canopy area. This equates to 0.79% total canopy coverage in Port Elliot.
Radiant temperature of Port Elliot
The radiant temperature visualisation (‘heat map’) undertaken for Port Elliot (see above) clearly shows the cooling effect that tree canopies and the ocean provide.
The hottest areas are found in paddocks as relative radiant temperature of open parks and fields can be high compared to treed areas. The sports ovals in Port Elliot provided cooling as they were watered and hence green, providing evaporative cooling.
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.