As you have just learned, trees play a crucial role in combating urban heat island effects, owing to their inherent ability to provide shade, reduce air temperatures, and offer a cooling effect through the processes of evaporation and transpiration.
So, can we just plant urban forests everywhere? The questions of which trees to select, where to plant them, and how to care for and maintain them are complicated. This animation provides some information regarding those challenges. Remember that you can view it as many times as you like, stop it at any point, and read the transcript.
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Urban forests are trees and vegetation in urban environments. And with all their plant superpowers, urban forests can make a very big impact on quality of life in the city.
So is the answer trees, trees, and more trees? Not quite.
Urban forests have a few caveats to consider:
Urban environments are stressful and cramped. And you have to have the right type of tree to deal with those conditions. If the right tree is in the right place, everyone is happy.
It takes money to maintain, water, and keep trees happy. Cities and residents need to allocate money for the lifetime of the tree, which can span generations.
In cities things are always changing. Trees however can’t just be uprooted. It takes thoughtful, long-term planning to keep urban forests thriving.
The bottom line is that urban forests don’t just happen. They are made by humans. Which means we (citizens, urban foresters, city leaders) are responsible for preserving the trees we have, and expanding our urban forests as our cities expand.
So if we have to pave paradise , we can always plant a forest.
Type your response to the following prompts in the Notes box, below:
1) What are two reasons not to plant trees in a neighborhood?
2) Who should be responsible for the upkeep of healthy trees, and why?