Did you know that strategic planting of trees can cool neighbourhoods by as much as 10°C? And reduce home energy bills by up to ~30%?
How? Well, first you need to know why it's so hot in the 'burbs these days!
In our increasingly concreted neighbourhoods, roads, pavements, and buildings soak up heat energy from the sun and surrounding air. These hard, absorptive surfaces retain the heat in the environment, creating a warm blanket over our streets and homes.
As a result, heat waves in our cities are becoming unbearable.
But urban trees and shrubs can help in two ways.
Firstly – and this might seem obvious – a leafy canopy of trees and shrubs intercepts the suns rays and prevent them from reaching those hard, absorptive surfaces in the first place.
But a dense canopy isn't the only thing contributing to the cooling effects of urban forests!
When leaves soak up sunlight and carbon dioxide to create their own energy, they release oxygen and water into the air as byproducts. As the water is released, it changes from liquid to water vapour, drawing heat energy from the air in the process, lowering the surrounding air temperature.
This is one of the key reasons why councils and communities across the world are working towards #urbanforest strategies to return trees and gardens to backyards and streets.