Urban heat islands are areas with few trees, little shade and an environment that releases heat into the air. Trees make cities more livable as temperatures rise with climate change. Heat islands can coincide with impoverished areas and human health problems. Mary Cadenasso, Plant Sciences professor, researches heat islands.
Plant Sciences faculty Loren Oki received funding from the Horticultural Research Institute for the project “Landscape Plant Performance: Water Use Assessments of New Cultivar Selections” to help with a state ordinance on landscape water conservation.
