Best Practice Guidelines for Using Natives Trees in Urban Environments to Improve Urban Climate Change Resiliency

May 26, 2021

Noon - 2:00pm

2 ISA CEUs

2019 and 2020 brought record-breaking heat to Arizona’s towns and cities, stressing people and the urban trees that provide essential shade. We need more shade than ever, but planting more trees requires using more water at a time when potable (drinking) water supplies are stretched. One strategy to grow more urban trees without substantially increasing potable water demand is to plant native desert trees. Native Sonoran Desert trees are well-adapted to our desert heat and seasonal drought, and need less water than nonnative trees. Planting native trees in appropriate urban locations and supporting them with harvested rainwater, stormwater, graywater and condensate provide can shady, climate-resilient trees, while conserving drinking water and reducing water costs. Ten Best Practices will be discussed to guide tree selection, placement, planting, watering, mulching and pruning to grow healthy native trees that provide much needed shade.