Urban forestry for cooler cities faces three critical hurdles.

Croeser, Thami; Rahman, Mohammad A; Ghosh, Arnab K · Nat Commun · 2026

review · Level V

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Abstract

Urban trees can protect city residents from extreme heat, but tree planting programs seldom provide sufficient shade where it is most needed. We synthesize evidence highlighting three rarely fulfilled prerequisites for the effective use of trees in heat adaptation.