Planning for Trees Improves Climate Resiliency As the climate changes and the earth warms, extreme heat days (temperatures over 95°F) have increased in frequency and wildfires fueled by dry vegetation burn bigger and for longer, negatively impacting air quality both locally and nationally. While unable to completely cancel out the impacts of an extreme heat
With shifting environmental conditions, cities are recognizing the important role trees play in creating a robust urban forest that is capable of reducing surface temperatures, improving air quality, conserving energy, and increasing quality of life, amongst many other benefits. A sustainable urban forest must contain healthy, well maintained trees with high species and age diversity.
National City — a small disadvantaged city in San Diego County — will expand its urban forest by planting 1,700 trees in city-managed properties with a $650,000 CAL FIRE grant. CAL FIRE’s Urban and Community Forestry Program focuses on using trees to provide neighborhoods the benefits of urban forests, such as sequestering greenhouse house gas,
