Can The Right Trees Help Us Cope with Heatwaves?

Photo by Bart Ros: https://www.pexels.com/photo/sunlight-between-trees-in-forest-10915473/

From Heatwaves to Forest Shade: Can Tree Types Help Cool a Warming Europe?

If you live in Europe, you’ve probably noticed that our summers are getting hotter. Perhaps you’ve seen the news about the extreme heatwaves sweeping across the continent, with temperatures above 40 °C no longer unheard of.

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/sun-301599/

The truth is, this trend isn’t going to stop anytime soon. We need to learn to live with and adapt to rising temperatures. A recent study published in Nature Communications explored a surprising solution to our sweltering summers: changing the type of trees in forests could actually cool local temperatures.

Could the right trees really make our summers more bearable? Let’s find out.

Photo by Degleex Ganzorig on Unsplash

Global Warming vs Local Warming: Why Local Temperatures Matter Too

While global warming quite rightly dominates the headlines, we often hear less about local warming, yet it can also be dangerous and even deadly.

Local warming refers to the increasing temperatures experienced in a specific country, region, or area, whereas global warming describes the overall rise in the planet’s average temperature.

Photo by Md. Hasanuzzaman Himel on Unsplash

Although local warming may lack the doomsday narrative often associated with global warming, its effects are serious. Summer heatwaves are already causing widespread problems, and in Europe, heat claims more than 175,000 lives every year, with this number set to soar in the coming decades.

The impacts of extreme heat extend beyond people, plants and animals are struggling too. Tens of thousands of square kilometres of European cropland are experiencing significantly reduced vegetation growth under heat and drought stress, with knock-on effects for food production that could destabilise communities in the near future.

How Scientists Used Models to Test the Cooling Power of Different Trees

So what did the scientists actually do? They used sophisticated computer models to simulate European summer temperatures under different forest types. They compared the existing coniferous forests with broadleaved forests and measured the effects on peak summer temperatures. For a refresher on tree types check out this video.

The scientists’ findings showed that replacing coniferous forests with broadleaved trees could cool local temperatures by an average of 0.6 °C, and up to 0.8 °C on extremely hot days. While this may not sound huge, it is enough to make the heat more manageable for vulnerable people, as well as for plants and animals.

It’s also a common assumption that planting more trees is always good. However,  planting new coniferous forests can actually lead to slight local warming compared to non-forested land, while planting deciduous trees prevents this and cools the area instead.

The effect was most pronounced in northern and western Europe, likely due to the climate and the high abundance of coniferous trees in these regions. This prevalence of conifers is partly a result of adaptation to cold environmentsand partly due to commercial forestry practices.

Broadleaf vs Conifer: How Forest Type Affects Local Temperature

1. Colour (Albedo)
   1. Broadleaved trees are generally lighter in colour, reflecting more sunlight.
   1. Dark-green conifers like fir and spruce absorb more solar energy, an adaptation that helped them survive harsh winters, but now contributes to local warming during hot summers.
2. Evapotranspiration (Natural Air Conditioning)
   1. Conifers release very little water vapor in summer.
   1. Broadleaved trees act like giant air conditioners, releasing water vapor that cools the air around them.
3. Air Movement / Surface Roughness
   1. The complex leaf shapes of broadleaves enhance air mixing, pulling hot air away from the ground and promoting cooling.
   1. Conifers, with their uniform vertical structure, tend to trap hot air near the ground, reducing natural cooling.

Photo by Len Rempel on Unsplash

Small Temperature Changes, Big Impacts: Crops, Wildlife, and Human Comfort

Although the temperature differences in this study are relatively small — less than a degree — even modest changes can have a big impact. For example:

• A 1 °C increase in average temperature during the growing season can reduce yields of major food and cash crops by 5–10 %.
• Livestock species have comfort zones (roughly 10–30 °C). Above these limits, animals reduce feed intake by about 3–5 % for each extra degree, affecting growth and productivity.

A cooling effect of up to 0.8 °C on the hottest summer days can also make a real difference in safety and comfort for the most vulnerable members of society.

Photo by Immo Wegmann on Unsplash

It’s important to note that we’re not talking about decreasing global temperatures. These measures won’t slow climate change, they help us cope with it locally, making heatwaves more bearable. Think of it like putting on a sun hat: it cools your head, but it doesn’t lower the sun’s overall heat.

A balancing act 

We all know that reforesting cleared areas and planting new forests is crucial for the planet. Trees absorb CO₂, helping us combat climate change. It’s therefore important that any new forests, regardless of their local cooling properties, continue to fulfill this vital role.

Fortunately, broadleaved and coniferous trees often store similar amounts of carbon, although local environmental factors heavily influence sequestration rates. Future research should focus on balancing a forest’s carbon‑capture potential with its local cooling effects, to guide comprehensive, locally tailored plans for forest development and management.

Reforestation is like nature's superhero, swooping in to save the day! Here's how it tackles global warming, climate change, pollution, and helps wildlife:

Carbon Sinks: Trees are like the ultimate carbon vacuum cleaners. They suck up CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in… pic.twitter.com/c6XMZ8OYjX

— Treemissions (@treemissions) June 12, 2025

A Useful Tool for Climate Adaptation, Not a Magic Fix

This study comes with important caveats. The temperature reductions are modest and by no means a magic bullet for coping with heat. Forest conversion should be seen as one tool among many for climate adaptation, alongside urban shading, water management, and heatwave planning. Changing forest types is work-intensive and slow, but with careful, long-term planning, it is achievable and could provide meaningful local relief during extreme summer temperatures.

How Smarter Forest Choices Can Help Us Survive Hotter Summers

It would be wonderful if we could focus solely on preventing climate change, without needing adaptation strategies. But as global temperatures continue to rise, it’s vital to find ways for people, animals, and crops to cope with scorching summers. Switching tree types can cool local areas, helping ecosystems and communities endure heatwaves. It’s not a solution to global warming, but it’s a clever way forests can lend a helping hand.

Curious but Cautious?

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Let’s Talk About It

Do you think forest planning should focus more on cooling effects, or is carbon capture still the top priority?
Share your thoughts or questions below and see how other readers are thinking about the future of our forests.