Trees and Health

As we face climate change, heat events, and community inequities, we are reminded of the benefits of trees for cooling neighborhoods.

  • Urban greening, climate change and public health, 7-pages from Public Health Institute
  • Public health benefits of urban trees, 4-pages from The Nature Conservancy
  • Climate, health and trees, online action guide from USDA Forest Service and American Forests
  • What happens if you cut down all of a city’s trees? 5-minute video

More info about urban heat and health

  • Urban heat island basics, webpage with many resources, US Environmental Protection Agency
  • California urban heat island index , from CalEPA
  • Public health and climate, 7 pages, excerpts from California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment, San Diego Region, 2018
  • How climate change impacts health, website, American Public Health Association
  • Los Angeles Cooling Collaborative that includes trees and shade, 2-minute video , Project report 2020
  • Green Cities, Good Health, research on a dozen topics of urban greening and health, website link, Kathleen Wolf and others at University of Washington
  • Global extreme heat, interactive report from New York Times, 11/18/22
  • Phoenix and urban heat, news article 2020
  • Reducing heat in Los Angeles, news article 2019
  • New York City and “cooling off,” news article 2020