New tools pinpoint where urban trees could provide the most relief from heat

New tools pinpoint where urban trees could provide the most relief from heat

Cities trying to cool sweltering streets often set broad tree canopy targets. But those targets can overlook the reality that not all shade is equally useful, and not every neighbourhood has room for more trees.  Now, two new studies from University of British Columbia researchers offer a more targeted approach. Tested in Kelowna, B.C., the complementary tools can identify urban hot spots down […]

High-Resolution Heat Maps and Shade Modelling Show Cities Where Tree

When a heat wave settles over a city, the difference between a sweltering afternoon and a bearable one can come down to a single row of mature trees casting shade across a stretch of sidewalk. Yet most municipalities still plan their urban forests with blunt instruments: citywide canopy targets, expressed as a single percentage, that […]