Urban Heat & Urban Forests
Urban forests are nature’s suburban air conditioners.
As our summers grow hotter and longer, shade and green space are no longer luxuries — they’re lifelines. Urban trees play a powerful role in cooling our suburbs, cleaning our air, supporting mental health, and protecting wildlife. They make our communities not only more beautiful, but more liveable, resilient, and future-ready.
The Urban Heat Island Effect
In built-up areas with lots of concrete, roads, and rooftops, temperatures can be dramatically higher than in nearby green zones. This is known as the urban heat island effect. With less vegetation to absorb heat or provide shade, these areas trap and radiate warmth leading to:
Increased energy bills from air conditioning
Higher rates of heat-related illness
Poorer air quality
Greater strain on vulnerable people, especially children and the elderly
Trees, on the other hand, are natural heat-busters. Through shade and evapotranspiration (a cooling process similar to how sweat works), they lower surrounding temperatures by up to 5–10°C — sometimes more.
Forestdale: Our Green Advantage... For Now
One of the things that makes Forestdale so special is our mature urban canopy. We’re not a typical suburb. Our large blocks, endemic trees, and green corridors have helped us remain up to 6°C cooler in summer than surrounding areas.
But we’re losing that edge.
Since 2017, Forestdale’s canopy has declined by an estimated 30% — a trend driven by increasing development, tree removal, and reduced protections. If it continues, we risk becoming like so many other “sweltering suburbs” — hot, dry, and stripped of the leafy life that once defined them.
Why Urban Forests Matter
Cool the air, naturally
Improve mental and physical health
Support biodiversity and native species
Raise property values and improve aesthetics
Reduce stormwater runoff and erosion
Filter air pollutants and sequester carbon
Urban trees are living infrastructure, and the older they are, the more valuable they become — for wildlife, for temperature regulation, and for community wellbeing. You can't fast-track a 100-year-old tree.
What Can We Do?
Protect what’s here: preserve mature trees wherever possible.
Plant with purpose: choose native species that thrive in local conditions.
Support local planning that values green space, not just buildings.
Join community efforts — like Forest 4 Forestdale’s canopy mapping and heat monitoring.
Educate others: help shift the mindset that trees are expendable.
Let’s Not Become a Sweltering City
Forestdale has been a green outlier, a leafy suburb with a cooler, more comfortable future. But if we don’t act, that legacy could be lost.
We have the tools. We have the trees. And we have a community that cares.
Let’s keep Forestdale cool, green, and thriving — for the next 40+ years and beyond.
Get Involved: Borrow a Heat Gun and Help Monitor Forestdale’s Urban Heat
Want to see the heat in your own backyard? You can borrow one of our infrared heat guns to measure surface temperatures around Forestdale. By collecting local heat data, you’ll help us build a clearer picture of where urban heat is most intense — information that’s vital to protecting and expanding our tree canopy.
Together, we can track heat hotspots, advocate for greener planning, and keep Forestdale cool. Contact us to get your heat gun