More than 65 trees planted in Phoenix park in hopes of reducing heat island effect

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Volunteers and staff came together on Friday to plant dozens of trees to provide more shade in the Maryvale area.

Maryvale is an area of Phoenix with historically warmer temperatures. Experts say this is partly due to a lack of tree cover.

Low canopy areas lead to a phenomenon known as the heat island effect, in which nighttime temperatures can be up to 22 degrees higher than temperatures measured outside the area.

This leads not only to increased energy consumption, but also to increased greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, which has other harmful effects.

The Arizona Community Foundation is working to address this issue in underserved communities.

“Because we live here in the summer, we know how incredibly hot it is here. Especially for vulnerable populations such as the elderly who may not be able to afford certain items. We need to invest in solutions,” said Anna Maria Chavez, president and CEO of the Arizona Community Foundation.

To protect public spaces from the heat, SRP and the Phoenix City Council donated 67 trees that were planted in El Oso Park near 75th Avenue and Thomas Road.

“Tree canopies provide essential shade that reduces the heat in these communities. We know the sidewalk here gets sun in the summer,” Chavez said.

Trees not only provide shade from the sun, which lowers temperatures, but also reduce energy consumption and clean the air.

“It’s no surprise that many of our children in this area have asthma. It’s no surprise that it’s really hard to live a truly healthy lifestyle when you can’t go outside from May to August and now even October,” said Councilwoman Betty Guardado, who represents Maryvale, a 37-square-mile borough. to Southwest Phoenix.

Since she was elected five years ago, she has focused on improving quality of life and investing in the community.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is being able to say we planted over 500 trees in District 5. In Ward 5 of Maryvale we have the youngest village. So we have to take care of our youth,” Guardado said.

Maryvale is also participating in the Cool Corridors project by adding cool paving. They are also working on other improvement projectsincluding restoring the canal system along the area and adding walking and biking paths, trees, lighting and fitness centers.

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