ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Everyone knows that trees provide shade. What may be less obvious are their contributions to evaporative cooling. Think of tree roots drawing water from the ground and pumping it to their leaves, which effectively sweat H20, cooling the air around them in the process.
How far does that cooling go in an urban environment that seems to be getting hotter?
And how do trees impact storm water? As rainfall moves through their branches, does it change chemical composition? Rainwater effectively feeds trees, but do trees also feed rainwater?
