Shade tree guidance
Shade provides numerous health benefits and can help protect communities from the harmful effects of excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure and future skin cancer risk. Tree canopy plays a fundamental role in its natural contribution to shade within our urban environments.
Queensland Health has commissioned academic research with Professor Nathan Downs of University of Southern Queensland (USQ) to identify optimal tree species to maximise UV radiation protection and shade provision.
As a result of this commission, a new resource for shade tree guidance has been developed that provides a wealth of information about shade.
Visit the Shade tree guidance resource.
CanopyCast Pro tool
CanopyCast Pro, a new version of CanopyCast, offers an unprecedented opportunity to inform design and shape the built environment. It can assist to protect communities from heat-related health impacts, improve thermal comfort and support urban cooling. Planners and designers can test their projects to optimise tree shade and reduce UV exposure with different tree forms, sizings, and spacing intervals. The Pro version allows users to observe a project’s shade and UV effects at different times of day across any Queensland location.
The original CanopyCast is an informative website that can be used to display static results for UV index reduction and shade provided by trees across five locations in Queensland, with the ability to select different tree forms and options to modify planting spacings.