Canopy

#heat #canopy #globalwarming #tree #garden #nature #climateemergency

The heat now accompanies us every summer. The canopy, or more precisely, the tops of large trees, will serve as cover in cities. This plant cover makes it possible to limit the heat on the ground, it is still necessary that the trees are planned for planting…

In a forest, the canopy is the end of the tall trees in direct contact with the sun’s rays and the atmosphere. It is an ecosystem in its own right, very different from the one found at the foot of the tree. And with the warming observed each year, you may have understood that during your walks in nature, it is much cooler in the shelter of the trees than on bare ground, without protection. This logic also gives thought to those responsible for green spaces in each municipality. We have become accustomed, for centuries, to building very mineral cities. Worse still, we considered the plant to be not very clean, even dangerous if it is by the roadside. How many liters of weedkillers have we used for years in parks and cemeteries to make things “cleaner”? Today, we know that there is nearly 20 degrees difference between bare ground and vegetated ground… Even if it is “weeds”!

And for the trees, we have to find a place for them in the concrete in order to limit the heat of summer.

In Paris, 25,000 new trees were planted between 2022 and 2023. And other cities in France will follow this example. Then, it will also be necessary to convince individuals and encourage them to plant trees in their garden…

Canopy and pine forest

These initiatives are positive, except to fall into a quantitative especially productive for the image and the re-election… Planting in all the directions, without taking into account the volume of soil available, can quickly become a failure a few years later. To withstand the heat, the root system of the plant must be able to develop properly. The analysis of the subsoil and the available land is therefore essential to hope to see these trees grow a minimum.And then, well, you will have to find the right species…French production, according to the figures revealed by Val’Hor, is around 1/3 for nursery plants, including our famous trees. And the majority of these nursery plants are found in distribution or direct sale to satisfy the amateur gardener.We do not have the details, but apart from a few tree nurseries, the vast majority offer decorative shrubs and fruit trees.All you have to do is visit garden centers to realize that trees in general no longer have a place in the plant shelves!Because of its size, it even tends to scare amateur gardeners.

Bad tree?

And it’s not just the size that bothers… The roots can lift the slabs of the terrace, the leaves will still fall into the pool and clog the filter. And then its branches in summer prevent us from seeing the neighbor opposite… Not to mention the electric wires… We are good for the pruning chore every 5 or 10 years…No, frankly, the tree has bad press! And what’s more, it attracts pigeons and crows!I play devil’s advocate, but the smaller the gardens, the less you want to plant trees in them. And yet, the city is too hot in summer, the tree must “invade” the public domain, but also the private domain.Perhaps we will see the appearance of medium-sized tree production capable of resisting drought. There is no shortage of varieties, in bulk: Judea tree, Hackberry, Linden, Soap tree, Almond tree, Holm oak, Bohemian olive tree… A tree department with an adapted pedagogy would make it possible to reclaim the canopy available above the garden.An incentive to plant trees would meet a demand that could well explode over the summers!

Remote sensing

More and more green space services are analyzing the canopy of their territory. Objective: find cool and warm areas in order to prioritize or adapt plantations.A few startups are starting to emerge and offer detailed maps of the areas to be planted.For the moment, only parks and public places are concerned, but it is a safe bet that the legislation will evolve to encourage or force individuals to also “cover” their private spaces.This aerial survey will also make it possible to count the trees and the different species in the same municipality.Every year we see an increase in temperatures in summer. The shaded areas are there to protect people, the earth and biodiversity. The control of these areas that are too exposed to the sun also depends on our actions and our plantations. It is necessary to go beyond the traditional question “What is the government doing?” “. We too, amateur gardeners, have a role and we can plant trees and help protect ourselves from the heat. I am campaigning for a ‘canopy’ section in points of sale… And among garden producers! And you, do you like this new space?

Roland Motte… Gardener!