It’s a well-known fact that trees can help reduce the urban heat island effect and lower temperatures in cities. Now, urban forestry advocates are touting another potential benefit of trees: food. As Max Graham explains in Grist, “Volunteers, school teachers, and urban farmers in cities across the country are planting fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, and other edible plants in public spaces to create shade, provide access to green space, and supply neighbors with free and healthy food.” In Tucson, an effort to plant mesquite trees combines the need for shade in the sun-drenched Arizona city with the mesquite’s traditional role as a food plant.
Click here to read more. Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Photo by Metro Centric via CC BY 2.0 DEED.