As heat waves intensify across Southern California, experts are encouraging residents to turn to trees, specifically native and drought-tolerant species, as a cost-effective way to stay cool.
Sandy Arellano, a resident of Alhambra, said her central air has been running from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily during the latest heat wave. “I’m sure my electricity bill will be $500,” she said.
For those without access to air conditioning, tree cover can offer critical relief. That’s where organizations like TreePeople come in. The nonprofit promotes planting native and climate-appropriate trees across the region.
Bryan Vejar, associate director of community forestry at TreePeople, says the organization focuses specifically on the trees most useful and environmentally responsible to the needs of the Los Angeles area. They promote planting native trees and trees from places with hot, dry climates.
“We certainly want to shy away from the water-intensive trees, the ones that are particularly vulnerable to heat damage and drought. In fact, many of our most popular and common trees that we plant in Southern California, or I should say used to plant, are no longer climate-adaptive,” said Vejar.
Veja said such trees include liquidambers, redwoods, and palm trees. He said water consumption is just one drawback about palm trees.
“While palms are iconic, unfortunately, they don’t provide a lot of the benefits we need on days like today,” said Monica Dean, a researcher with ShadeLA and USC Dornsife Public Exchange. “This long, skinny thing doesn’t cast a great shadow to keep us nice and cool. Some trees are more likely to spread fire—palm trees in particular are like tiki torches.”
During a recent study at Exposition Park, Dean’s team recorded temperature differences of up to 20 degrees between shaded and unshaded areas.
“What we’re looking at is these trees that can survive the heat that don’t require a lot of water because we’re going to have limited water resources and that cast a big canopy,” says Dean.
Both Vejar and Dean recommend planting trees such as California sycamore, coast live oak and peppermint willow, which provide dense canopies and require less water and are a good fit for the Los Angeles climate.
TreePeople encourages residents to reach out for guidance on selecting and planting trees that offer the most cooling while supporting climate resilience. More information is available at treepeople.org
