Chicago neighborhoods that lost the most tree canopy over an 11-year period also recorded higher death rates, according to Northwestern University researchers, with the association strongest in the city's hottest areas.
The study, published in GeoHealth, tracked census tract-level canopy cover and mortality across Chicago from 2011 through 2021. To illustrate the scale of what protection and planting might achieve, the team modeled a scenario in which the city increased canopy by roughly 0.03 percent annually, equivalent to planting about 14,000 trees a year. That increase was associated with roughly 105 fewer deaths per year.
