The great thing about trees

One of the wonderful things about trees is the cooling effect that their shade can create for us people on the ground. A few weeks ago we took a walk up to Mt. Adams to see a local pottery show. It was a beautiful sunny day that would have been incredibly hot on that blacktop were it not for the shade generated by one great old tree that covered nearly the entire driveway loop.

A hot parking lot in the sun is a good example of what’s called the Urban Heat Island effect. The combination of trapped heat and solid, heat-storing elements like concrete and blacktop often creates surface air temperatures of up to 10 degrees higher than nearby rural areas. Grassy or tree-shaded areas tend to avoid the urban heat island effect and stay cooler. Green roofs will help reduce the urban heat island effect in a city, as well as reduce storm water runoff.

One of the artists had love for the trees too. Funny how you never see concrete, blacktop, and the urban heat island effect celebrated at pottery shows. We do hope to start seeing more and more green roofs in Cincinnati though, and rumor has it that there’s a perfect patch of flat roof right outside the Mayor’s office on Cincinnati’s City Hall.