Climate Change and the Future of Urban Trees

Trees provide something unique to the conversation on climate change. They are one of the only things going that provide benefit in both an adaptive and a mitigation role.

I'm an arborist. In my job I study, photograph and make decisions about the future of trees everyday. In this piece I'll share some of what I see as it relates to the discussion on climate change. I will show things that often go wrong, and show that we just are not yet doing a good enough job of growing trees.

Climate Change is Already Affecting Urban Trees

 

Here in the Pacific Northwest region our native conifers are dying rapidly. The deaths can be attributed to a number of contributing factors. Each of those factors seem to be made worse by climate change.

• Western Red Cedars are dying from top down.
• Douglas Fir become dry and susceptible to pest infestations causing death.
• Western Hemlock get overcome by fungal imbalances resulting in branch dieback, weakened stems, and rotting roots.  

Other much valued species are struggling also. Our ornamental Cherry trees experience a multitude of pest and disease issues such as blights, cankers, galls and infestations of leaf chewing insects. Add to this is the problem of some shockingly bad pruning of many of these.

Boulevards of pretty pink blossoming trees in the Spring could become a memory of the past.

 

What will the future look like if we don't start doing a better job of growing, maintaining and preserving trees?

 

 

 

Responses to date have been meek. Governments are not addressing the issues.  Industry is far too disorganized and has shown to be unable to make positive change. The public have yet to realize that there are problems here that should be addressed. Each entity contributes a response of no action, little action or action that contradicts what is being done in other jurisdictions.

 

Optimism

 

Despite all that is wrong in the world of urban trees I do find reason for optimism. The reason I say this is because trees are so simple to do right.

 

All you need is right tree, right place, add water and wait....