June 11th

By Mutt Mulligan

Study: yards & urban trees reduce heat

A new study published out of Australia indicates that the solution to extreme heat in cities could be literally outside our backdoors. The study assessed the cooling effects of trees and other vegetation in people’s yards.

Private yards cover about 20% of the land in Adelaide, where the study was conducted. Those yards contain 40% of the total tree cover and 30% of the total grass cover. Scientists discovered that the number of yards and the percentage of vegetation within them reduced land surface temperatures by as much as 40 degrees compared to non-vegetated areas.

The study concludes that the living landscapes in people’s yards is important for decreasing the surface temperatures in urban areas during periods of extreme heat.

As temperatures are starting to warm up across the U.S., do you notice the cooling effects of the living landscapes in your own backyard? What about the parks and other public green spaces in your community? Are they cooler than the hardscaped areas?

To learn more about how our green spaces impact the environment, as well as our health and well-being, go to TurfMutt.com.