Building greener, building smarter: the winds of change are blowing through the building community, fueled by consumer demand and discerning practitioners

American Forests, Spring, 2005 by Cheryl Kollin

AMERICAN FORESTS' CITYgreen software is a planning tool that allows communities to measure their existing tree canopy and weigh the environmental and economic impacts of future land development decisions. Communities can now estimate their tree canopy by using National Land Cover Data from the U.S. Geological Survey's National Map (see Greening the National Map, page 41).

--Cheryl Kollin

Cheryl Kollin is director of AMERICAN FORESTS' Urban Forestry department and co-chair of the 2005 National Conference on Urban Ecosystems.