American shade - Trees missing in low-income neighborhoods

The story: Research showed most U.S. cities have tree-planting programmes, but not all urban tree canopies are created equal. More tree cover would lo

American shade - Trees missing in low-income neighborhoods

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• The story: Research showed most U.S. cities have tree-planting programmes, but not all urban tree canopies are created equal. More tree cover would lower disproportionately high levels of heat and pollution but that's not happening. Today the United States needs to plant more than a half-billion new trees to achieve an equitable urban canopy across nearly 500 metropolitan areas and 1,50,000 local communities.
• Details: The new findings are based on the "Tree Equity Score" data tool that allows users to see where urban trees exist, and where they don't. Researchers identified 20 large U.S. cities that are lagging in urban forest canopies that would protect their most vulnerable populations from hotter temperatures.

1. The findings confirmed a disturbing pattern of inequitable distribution of trees that deprived many 'communities of colour' of the health and other benefits that sufficient tree cover can deliver (research was by American Forests)
2. For example, communities of colour have 33% less tree canopy on average than majority white communities, and neighborhoods with 90% or more of their residents living in poverty have 41% less tree canopy than communities with only 10% or less of the population in poverty.

• Tree equity: The scale and pace at which trees are planted or naturally regenerate must increase if trees are to continue to make people healthier or slow effects of climate change. Achieving "tree equity" nationally (in USA) would require planting 522 million trees in places with populations of 50,000 or greater. As those trees mature, they would mitigate 56,613 tons of particulate pollution and absorb 9.3 million tons of carbon dioxide — the equivalent of taking 92 million cars off the roads.
• Who will benefit: Several cities that would benefit from more equitable tree cover include the five most populated cities in the United States — New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Phoenix — and a handful of smaller cities such as Fresno, Calif.; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Oklahoma City.
• Why trees: Tree canopies are particularly good at reducing health stress associated with urban heat islands. These areas often are much hotter than surrounding neighborhoods — a condition caused by a lack of trees and the absorption of heat by buildings, streets and parking lots. Scientists say urban heat islands can cause temperatures to be 5 to 7 degrees warmer during the day and as much as 22 degrees warmer at night. This creates a dangerous health risk. Under current climate warming trajectories, heat-related deaths from 2031 to 2050 could be 57% higher than from 1971 to 2000.
• Summary: Since more than 70% of the people in US live in cities or suburbs, so it's a place-based problem with a place-based solution. The need is for local, state and federal lawmakers and nonprofits to fund the protection of existing trees and plant new ones. 

 

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