New Hampshire's forests are cool... literally.

Ahh, Memorial Day – traditional start of summer brings sweltering temperatures. When the heat is on, New Hampshire really has it made in the shade!

 Higher temperatures are recorded in urban areas compared with rural areas due to roofs and asphalt pavements baked by the sun. Warmer air hovers above city rooftops and streets with fewer trees, extending upwards as much as a mile.

Urban “heat islands” drain electrical energy, cause air and water pollution and impact human health due to respiratory illness, heat cramps and heat strokes.

Higherr temperatures spike electricity demand One sixth of the electricity consumed in the U.S. goes to cool buildings, at an annual power cost of $40 billion! For large cities, electrical demand can be 10% higher to offset heat island effects.

Trees are the answer! Urban street trees help to cool cities by providing shade to lower surface air temperatures. Trees also release water into the air from their leaves – a process called “evapo-transpiration” which cools the air. Temperatures in the shade are 20–45°F cooler than un-shaded areas. Evapo-transpiration alone reduces peak summer temperatures by 2–9°F.

Maintaining existing street trees and planting more are simple, cost-effective strategies to mitigate urban heat islands effects.

Here in New Hampshire, 83% of our state’s land area is cloaked in cool, lush forests. When you multiply the cooling and air conditioning effects trees provide by the area of our state that is forested, it's obvious why New Hampshire is a cooler place to work and to live in summertime!