Articles
The role of street trees in reducing summertime local air temperatures in temperate climates
Article number
1429_7
Pages
63 – 70
Language
English
Abstract
Urban areas are often warmer than surrounding rural areas, a phenomenon named the urban heat island.
In periods of extreme heat, this increase in air temperature can create serious health risks to the most vulnerable populations.
Urban trees are known to be able to offset the local high urban air temperatures and so improve human comfort and health during those periods.
This paper reports on the initial evidence from a campaign that monitored the air temperatures in several streets in Bristol, UK, with and without lines of street trees, continuously for several years.
Results analysed here are from August to September of 2021, when air temperatures were mild.
Still, they show that, on the warmest days, the streets with trees had lower daytime air temperatures than their surrounding streets without trees, with differences reaching up to 2.3°C. This was particularly visible for streets with trees planted throughout the whole length of the street.
These results seem to suggest that the cooling provided by the street trees can help improve the thermal comfort of those passing by or living in those streets and confirms that retaining and increasing street trees in UK urban areas is paramount to help combat the urban heat.
In periods of extreme heat, this increase in air temperature can create serious health risks to the most vulnerable populations.
Urban trees are known to be able to offset the local high urban air temperatures and so improve human comfort and health during those periods.
This paper reports on the initial evidence from a campaign that monitored the air temperatures in several streets in Bristol, UK, with and without lines of street trees, continuously for several years.
Results analysed here are from August to September of 2021, when air temperatures were mild.
Still, they show that, on the warmest days, the streets with trees had lower daytime air temperatures than their surrounding streets without trees, with differences reaching up to 2.3°C. This was particularly visible for streets with trees planted throughout the whole length of the street.
These results seem to suggest that the cooling provided by the street trees can help improve the thermal comfort of those passing by or living in those streets and confirms that retaining and increasing street trees in UK urban areas is paramount to help combat the urban heat.
Authors
M. Vaz Monteiro, K. Sales, K.J. Doick
Keywords
street trees, cooling benefit, urban heat, human thermal comfort
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