Page 25 - Georgia Forestry - Issue 4 - Fall 2023

“Heatstroke in urban areas is the number-one weather killer in our cities,” Levine added. “Trees are the number- one way to mitigate heat islands and the rising temperatures in cities.”
Where Do We Go
From Here?
The key to ensuring long-term success is diversity in the types of trees planted. Diverse plantings not only have aesthetic benefits but can help ensure the success of plantings and mitigate issues such as pests and disease.
“Between climate change and [Savan- nah] being a port city, we’re going to have pests and disease,” Rinker said. “The best way to combat that is making sure that we’re educating the public on the different types of trees you can plant — not just crepe myrtles, not just live oaks. There’s a huge species list we can be planting here that will thrive and do well in urban spaces.”
Traditional, non-urban forests have clear, easy-to-understand life cycles. A tree grows using nutrients in the soil that older trees have left behind and it adds nutrients to the soil. Years pass in this symbiotic relationship, then the tree dies off, turning back into the soil and growing new trees.
“That is all broken in urban forests because a tree that comes down is removed; it’s not left there to decompose. Leaves come down; they’re raked away,” Rinker said. “We’re thinking of creative ways that we can complete that cycle by taking it down and even mulching it and using the mulch to go back into the urban trees. It’s not the prettiest mulch, but it’s probably the most nutritious. So, thinking about ways that we can help complete that cycle in the face of the urban landscape is a pretty exciting idea for me.”
Ensuring success moving forward requires organizations to educate and excite the next generations of advocates, whether that’s through apprenticeship programs or ongoing partnerships with local schools. These urban forestry organizations are committed to ensuring that the upcoming generation has the education necessary to maintain and grow urban forests.
T.A. DEFEO IS A FREELANCE WRITER WHO HAS WRITTEN SEVERAL BOOKS ABOUT RAILROADS. HE IS FOCUSED ON TELLING STORIES, WHETHER THEY ARE IN GEORGIA’S FORESTS, ALONG THE RAILS THAT CRISSCROSS THIS NATION OR ANYWHERE IN BETWEEN.

SEEDLING SALES
1-800-635-0162 (AL, AR, E. TX ,LA, MS, OK) 1-800-634-8975 (AL, FL, GA, SC, TN)
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