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Climate Change Causes City Trees to Struggle

时间:2022-11-28 00:39:24

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(单词翻译)

Life in a city can be especially hard for a tree.

Buildings, pollution, poor soil, insects, and even car crashes can add to tree loss. Now, the warming climate is making a tree's life even harder.

Between 2016 and 2021, a report from the city of Seattle in Washington state said the city lost about 255 hectares of tree covering. The report blamed climate change in part for the loss.

Then came the driest summer on Seattle's record books in 2022. The drier conditions and hotter temperatures have left many trees with brown leaves, naked branches, and extreme seeding. These are all signs of tree stress.

A tree expert at Washington Park Arboretum1, Shea Cope, said that you can see evidence of tree stress in maple2 and hemlock3 trees. "(They are) just loaded with cones4 or seeds. It's kind of their last-ditch effort to reproduce."

Nicholas Johnson is a tree expert for Seattle City Parks. He said if this warming climate continues, "...we are going to have a lot of trees die." "Under the heat," he said, "trees get weak — just like people."

Effects of extreme weather

Researchers from France and Australia studied the effect of hotter temperatures and less rain on more than 3,100 trees and plants in 164 cities across 78 countries.

They found about half the trees in the cities were experiencing climate conditions beyond their limits. They also found that by 2050 nearly all trees planted in Australian cities will not survive.

David Nowak is a retired5 scientist for the U.S. Forest Service. He said, "It's not the gradual change that's going to be the problem. It's these extreme swings of too much water, too little water, too much wind, and storm intensities6 (that) are going to cause these rapid changes."

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed about 10 percent of the trees in New Orleans, Louisiana, said Michael Karam, Director of Parks and Parkways. And in 2021, he added, Hurricane Ida uprooted7 many new tree plantings.

‘Assisted migration8'

With climate change, researchers are also concerned that many cities will lose newly planted trees before they reach maturity9 -- between 10 to 20 years.

Non-native trees have been brought to cities for some time. However, climate change is causing many tree experts to specifically consider them — a practice called "assisted migration."

In the city of Bellevue, Washington, experts are growing different kinds of trees specifically for climate change. On city grounds, they are planting baby giant sequoias, just a few centimeters tall.

The giant sequoias are not native to the Pacific Northwest area. But tree managers in this city east of Seattle are planting more sequoias because the trees can deal with the lack of rain and insects.

"Once these trees are established, they grow incredibly fast," said Rick Bailey of the city's forest management program.

Planting more non-native trees is also drawing attention to something city tree experts have learned from years of tree deaths: having many different kinds and ages of trees is important to keeping urban forests alive.

"Life always finds a way," said Nicholas Johnson, the tree expert for Seattle City Parks. "And in Seattle, people are helping10 life find a way."

Words in This Story

stress – n. a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be involved in causing some diseases

last-ditch – adj. made as a final effort especially to avert11 disaster

gradual – adj. moving or changing by slight degrees

swings – n. a sudden change in state or condition

intensity12 – adj. extreme degree of strength, force, energy, or feeling

management – n. the conducting or supervising of something (such as a business)


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1 arboretum pNwye     
n.植物园
参考例句:
  • We can go to the arboretum in the southern suburb.我们可以去南郊的植物园。
  • The arboretum is full of exotic flowers and rare herbs.植物园里长满了各种奇花异草。
2 maple BBpxj     
n.槭树,枫树,槭木
参考例句:
  • Maple sugar is made from the sap of maple trees.枫糖是由枫树的树液制成的。
  • The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。
3 hemlock n51y6     
n.毒胡萝卜,铁杉
参考例句:
  • He was condemned to drink a cup of hemlock.判处他喝一杯毒汁。
  • Here is a beech by the side of a hemlock,with three pines at hand.这儿有株山毛榉和一株铁杉长在一起,旁边还有三株松树。
4 cones 1928ec03844308f65ae62221b11e81e3     
n.(人眼)圆锥细胞;圆锥体( cone的名词复数 );球果;圆锥形东西;(盛冰淇淋的)锥形蛋卷筒
参考例句:
  • In the pines squirrels commonly chew off and drop entire cones. 松树上的松鼠通常咬掉和弄落整个球果。 来自辞典例句
  • Many children would rather eat ice cream from cones than from dishes. 许多小孩喜欢吃蛋卷冰淇淋胜过盘装冰淇淋。 来自辞典例句
5 retired Njhzyv     
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
参考例句:
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
6 intensities 6932348967a63a2a372931f9320087f3     
n.强烈( intensity的名词复数 );(感情的)强烈程度;强度;烈度
参考例句:
  • At very high intensities, nuclear radiations cause itching and tingling of the skin. 当核辐射强度很高时,它能使皮肤感到发痒和刺痛。 来自辞典例句
  • They ask again and again in a variety of ways and intensities. 他们会以不同的方式和强度来不停地问,直到他得到自己想要的答案为止。 来自互联网
7 uprooted e0d29adea5aedb3a1fcedf8605a30128     
v.把(某物)连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 );根除;赶走;把…赶出家园
参考例句:
  • Many people were uprooted from their homes by the flood. 水灾令许多人背井离乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The hurricane blew with such force that trees were uprooted. 飓风强烈地刮着,树都被连根拔起了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 migration mDpxj     
n.迁移,移居,(鸟类等的)迁徙
参考例句:
  • Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
  • He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。
9 maturity 47nzh     
n.成熟;完成;(支票、债券等)到期
参考例句:
  • These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。
  • This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。
10 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
11 avert 7u4zj     
v.防止,避免;转移(目光、注意力等)
参考例句:
  • He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
  • I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。
12 intensity 45Ixd     
n.强烈,剧烈;强度;烈度
参考例句:
  • I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
  • The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

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