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Ever wondered why a tree that survived a harsh summer earlier succumbed quickly in the next one? The answer lies in what heat and soil drought are doing to native trees in the UK.
Native trees in the UK are not used to temperatures hovering around 40 degrees in the summer. The Climate Changed Oak at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew is not just symbolic of the heatwave of 2022. The heatwave killed 400 trees at Kew that summer, but by painting it red, the staff are also warning us about the dangers of climate change and how extreme heat and drought are killing native trees in Britain.
Meteored has previously reported how London could lose more than 70 percent of its trees to climate change by 2090. It is not that trees cannot just handle high temperatures prevailing in summer these days. The combination of extreme heat and drought at the same time is pushing trees beyond their limits.
Why trees can’t stay cool
Much like how humans sweat to stay cool, trees too have a similar cooling mechanism. Roots absorb water, which then travels to the leaves where it evaporates through stomata – tiny pores on the leaf surface. This helps trees stay about 5 degrees Celsius cooler than their surroundings, even during heat waves, but only if water is freely available.
Higher temperatures mean leaves let out more water to keep the tree cool. However, if the soil is dry, the tree cannot replenish this water and
Original Record.
This archived record authored by ‘Ameya Paleja’ at ‘METEORED (Your Weather)’ was recovered from data set:
English