How do you keep cities cool as the world gets hotter? It’s sort of a no-brainer: Less concrete, more jungle. In a recent study, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers showed that tree cover can cool down a city block by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit, a difference that could save lives and money spent on AC. And cities are taking note.
Los Angeles recently hired its first-ever forest officer, joining a slew of cities making concerted efforts to plant trees where they’re needed most. Couple those lofty goals with the still-growing percentage of Americans who live in urban areas, and the demand for urban forestry is only expected to increase: The nonprofit, American Forests, estimates that the next five years will see 30,000 forestry jobs that need to be filled, many of them in cities.
Sarah Anderson, senior manager of Tree Equity Programs at American Forests, makes a strong case that locals ought to lead that work and bring more trees to cities. Check out this interview with Anderson to find out why cities all over will be hiring urban foresters in the coming years.
