The answer — provisionally — seems to be yes. Researchers from the US Forest Service and the University of Pennsylvania tracked the daily movements of gunshot victims and compared them to a comparable group of non-victims. The odds of getting shot decreased significantly in areas with significant tree cover when compared to the control group, and when compared against the places visited by victims before they were shot.  In contrast to other studies which compare neighborhoods based on crime statistics and apparent tree cover, this study focuses on specific locations where gun violence took place.

• TAGS:
• crime,
• Public Health,
• Public Safety