Thousands of US counties have increased their tree cover

Newly released data shows that 60 percent of counties throughout the U.S. have increased the number of trees in their area.

Between 2000 and 2020, data found a mean increase of 8.15 percent tree cover across 1,836 counties, which experts say will help the country beat the heat and breathe cleaner air. The Midwest region saw the highest increase, but counties home to some of the most populated metro areas, like Brooklyn, N.Y., and Detroit, also saw small gains.

Lea County, N.M., is one of the 25 largest counties in the U.S. by land area, and it experienced a 1,600 percent increase in forest canopy. Other places with a significant increase in forest canopy include Florida’s Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

Tree cover performs many functions in the environment and increases biodiversity in wooded areas. A new study also shows it may help detect volcano eruptions.

With human development being a major cause of tree loss across the U.S., many states have committed to planting more trees to make up for it, including Wisconsin, Hawaii and Maryland.

But it comes after the Trump administration announced plans last month to strip protections that prevent logging on nearly 59 million acres of National Forest System lands.