The heat of the 2021 summer makes us think more and more about tree losses and attempts to prevent them. As is well known, trees are able to lower daytime temperatures by up to 10 °F (1). Unfortunately, the amount of trees in US metropolitan areas is decreasing (2). Data from the US Forest Service shows that over a five-year period, we are losing around 36 million trees annually (this refers to both cities and populated rural areas). If this continues, cities will become hotter, more polluted, and residents will face more serious health problems.
1. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190325173305.htm
2. https://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/pubs/jrnl/2018/nrs_2018_nowak_005.pdf