{"id":410029,"date":"2025-10-24T17:47:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T15:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=410029"},"modified":"2025-10-24T17:47:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T15:47:10","slug":"no-washington-post-climate-change-isnt-killing-washington-dcs-trees-urban-stress-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=410029","title":{"rendered":"No, Washington Post, Climate Change Isn\u2019t Killing Washington, DC\u2019s Trees\u2014Urban Stress Is"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Scenic<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From ClimateRealism<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Anthony Watts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"The<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In The Washington Post\u2019s<\/em> (WaPo<\/em>) article, \u201cClimate change is coming for D.C.\u2019s trees, and the city won\u2019t look the same,\u201d<\/a> the authors claim that climate change is killing off Washington, DC\u2019s tree canopy. This is false. While the article mentions other effects that contribute to the decline of the urban tree canopy, they miss or dismiss the primary causes, preferring to blame climate change instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors argue that rising temperatures and erratic weather patterns are forcing arborists to abandon native species in favor of more \u201cclimate-tolerant\u201d trees from the southern United States. The Post asserts that without urgent adaptation, the District\u2019s iconic maples, lindens, and elms could \u201cvanish by 2100.\u201d It also states that \u201curban development and climate change have contributed to the annual loss of thousands of D.C. trees and threaten the long-term survival of some of the region\u2019s native tree populations.\u201d That may sound convincing, however, in fact, it is deeply misleading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The majority of DC\u2019s tree stress has little to do with global climate change. Rather, urbanization is the culprit. The city\u2019s heat, pollution, and dense infrastructure have transformed what was once a temperate forest into an artificial microclimate. This is the urban heat island effect (UHI)<\/strong> at work. As Christy and Spencer demonstrated in their peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology<\/em><\/a>, as much as 65 percent of apparent \u201cwarming\u201d in urban areas is attributable solely to human development<\/strong>, not global greenhouse gases. Pavement, buildings, and waste heat raise nighttime temperatures, putting added stress on trees that evolved in cooler, more permeable soils.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Climate at a Glance: Urban Heat Islands<\/a> notes, \u201cmost of the apparent warming in U.S. cities results from localized effects of urbanization, not global climate change.\u201d This localized heating can be several degrees higher than in nearby rural areas, making it a huge stressor for trees already dealing with limited water and root space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one sense, WaPo<\/em> is right that \u201cthe city won\u2019t look the same.\u201d But that change will come from bulldozers, power lines, and misguided policy, not carbon dioxide. Construction sites, compacted ground, and impervious surfaces also disrupt local hydrology. Runoff channels water away from roots, while soil compaction limits oxygen exchange. WaPo<\/em> acknowledges this fact in passing, but downplays the implication that \u201curban development and construction \u2026 can compact soil and hurt root health.\u201d These are direct human management problems, having nothing to do with planetary climate collapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Air pollution compounds the problem. Elevated levels of ground-level ozone and particulates can clog or damage the stomata<\/strong> on tree leaves, the small pores that allow trees to \u201cbreathe.\u201d When trees are bathed in exhaust, industrial emissions, and urban dust, their stomata often close prematurely to prevent water loss, impairing photosynthesis<\/a>. The resulting \u201cstomatal overload\u201d is a documented stress response common in polluted environments, especially in cities like DC that sit in traffic corridors. The WaPo ignores this entirely, instead blaming \u201chotter summers and milder winters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another unacknowledged factor in the arboreal landscape in DC is the city\u2019s own planting choices. Many of the trees in DC\u2019s streetscape \u2014 London plane trees, Japanese zelkovas, littleleaf lindens, and the famous Japanese cherry blossom trees \u2014 are non-native ornamentals<\/strong>, chosen for aesthetics or fast growth rather than ecological fit. Non-native species often struggle with local pests, soil chemistry, and seasonal patterns. When they fail, journalists may hasten to blame climate change, but really it\u2019s simply poor arboreal planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make matters worse, the city\u2019s tree canopy data are influenced by shifting species selection policies. The Urban Forestry Division is now prioritizing trees from warmer regions like the Southeast\u2014species such as the overcup oak and the swamp white oak\u2014based on assumptions that DC\u2019s future climate will resemble Atlanta\u2019s. But these projections are built on notably flawed computer climate model outputs, not observation. The same models that exaggerate global temperature trends now serve as landscaping guides. There\u2019s a certain irony in \u201csaving\u201d DC\u2019s trees by importing ones that never belonged there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the biggest real threat to Washington\u2019s trees isn\u2019t carbon dioxide, it\u2019s the chainsaw. The Post itself reports that \u201cthe District has removed more than 37,000 trees over the last five years,\u201d many for development projects. When you cut down a 100-year-old oak to make way for a bike lane or stadium, the resulting loss of shade and soil stability is not the atmosphere\u2019s fault, it\u2019s the city\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cclimate change is killing trees\u201d narrative also conveniently omits that CO\u2082 is plant food<\/a>. Hundreds of studies and field research show that elevated carbon dioxide concentrations enhance tree growth, improve drought tolerance, and increase biomass. NASA satellite data have even documented a global \u201cgreening\u201d trend over the past 40 years as a result of higher CO\u2082 levels<\/a>. If carbon dioxide were truly the villain, DC would be losing green cover, not gaining it. Yet the District\u2019s canopy has remained stable at roughly 37 percent for years, exactly the same figure the article cites, despite massive clearing for development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Washington, DC wants a healthier urban forest, the answer isn\u2019t to \u201cfight climate change,\u201d it is to manage urban stress. Expand green space. Loosen compacted soils. Plant tree species adapted to the local environment<\/em>, not projections of future ones. Also, stop pretending that every environmental problem is a symptom of global warming, aka climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Washington Post<\/em>\u2019s story may make for poetic reading, but it\u2019s science fiction masquerading as environmental journalism. The real issue is not a mildly warming world\u2014it is a city that\u2019s paved, polluted, and hostile to trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In The Washington Post\u2019s (WaPo) article, \u201cClimate change is coming for D.C.\u2019s trees, and the city won\u2019t look the same,\u201d the authors claim that climate change is killing off Washington, DC\u2019s tree canopy. This is false. While the article mentions other effects that contribute to the decline of the urban tree canopy, they miss or dismiss the primary causes, preferring to blame climate change instead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":410034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"Discover why urbanization, not climate change, poses the real threat to Washington D.C.'s trees in this insightful analysis.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"Urban Stress, Not Climate Change, Threatens D.C.'s Trees","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691839042,691829997,691818056,691819743,691839041,691821837,691818694,691828654],"class_list":["post-410029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-climate-tolerant-trees","tag-carbon-dioxide-co","tag-climate-change","tag-climate-propaganda","tag-he-washington-posts-wapo","tag-rising-temperatures","tag-trees","tag-urban-heat-island-effect-uhi","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0AQNMLb_PnWL3p4KHbMFhXJKMUHGXd27PKsSESMsHra5ZaOufykIPj-szUqyCG9GmYjDfH0qsRJ8jUimRp4hfmcS1OBMZ0Rw6mQnxGHVPu3bF77vftPoaVdYlx4mMJ681-1.jpeg?fit=1425%2C920&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1IFn","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":365496,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=365496","url_meta":{"origin":410029,"position":0},"title":"False, Washington Post, Climate Change Isn\u2019t Causing a Rat Crisis","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/09\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The\u00a0Washington Post\u00a0(WaPo) published an article claiming global warming is responsible for increasing rats' populations in the world\u2019s major cities. This is false. Rats have always lived among and thrived with human populations. As cities have grown, so have urban rat populations, benefitting from mismanaged waste, ineffective pest control policies, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"carbon dioxide (CO\u2082)\"","block_context":{"text":"carbon dioxide (CO\u2082)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=carbon-dioxide-co%e2%82%82"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/00WaPo-rats-fakenews227844720.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/00WaPo-rats-fakenews227844720.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/00WaPo-rats-fakenews227844720.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/00WaPo-rats-fakenews227844720.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/00WaPo-rats-fakenews227844720.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":443607,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=443607","url_meta":{"origin":410029,"position":1},"title":"Right, Washington Post, Banning Hamburger Ads Won\u2019t Stop Climate Change","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/11\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A recent Washington Post (WaPo) article, \u201cAmsterdam\u2019s ban on advertising hamburgers won\u2019t stop climate change,\u201d blasts a new law in Amsterdam banning advertisements for meat in public spaces. The order is meant to decrease the demand for meat to stop climate change. The WaPo Editorial Board has the correct reaction.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"advertisements banned\"","block_context":{"text":"advertisements banned","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=advertisements-banned"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0leonardovieira260998-hamburger-7191901-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0leonardovieira260998-hamburger-7191901-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0leonardovieira260998-hamburger-7191901-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0leonardovieira260998-hamburger-7191901-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0leonardovieira260998-hamburger-7191901-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":330102,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=330102","url_meta":{"origin":410029,"position":2},"title":"No, Washington Post, Houston\u2019s Mosquito Problem Isn\u2019t New or Driven by Climate Change","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/26\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A recent article in the Washington Post (WaPo) linked recent heavy rain and an associated explosion of mosquitoes to climate change. Other media outlets such as Fox News, cited the WaPo story saying Mosquitoes swarm Texas town, officials blame climate change. Officials may be blaming climate change, but they are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate change\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0rawImage.jpg?fit=1200%2C831&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0rawImage.jpg?fit=1200%2C831&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0rawImage.jpg?fit=1200%2C831&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0rawImage.jpg?fit=1200%2C831&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0rawImage.jpg?fit=1200%2C831&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":253560,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=253560","url_meta":{"origin":410029,"position":3},"title":"No, Washington Post, Tax Season is Not Getting Longer Due to \u2018Climate Change\u2019","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/18\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The Washington Post\u00a0(WaPo) ran a story on April 17, 2023, titled \u201cTax season is getting longer. Blame climate change.\u201d Not only is the story written by\u00a0Jacob Bogage\u00a0flat out wrong, it is patently absurd.","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate change\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-367.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-367.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-367.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-367.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":386421,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=386421","url_meta":{"origin":410029,"position":4},"title":"False, Washington Post, Heat Isn\u2019t Making \u201cJune . . . the new July\u201d","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"07\/02\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"In their recent article, \u201cJune is the new July: Why intense summer heat is arriving earlier,\u201d The Washington Post (WaPo) claims that \u201cthe heat waves moving in recent days across Canada, the U.S., and northern Europe are part of a dangerous new climate pattern.\u201d This narrative is wrong, or misleading\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate change\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0Screenshot-2025-07-02-171018.png?fit=1038%2C926&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0Screenshot-2025-07-02-171018.png?fit=1038%2C926&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0Screenshot-2025-07-02-171018.png?fit=1038%2C926&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0Screenshot-2025-07-02-171018.png?fit=1038%2C926&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":371837,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=371837","url_meta":{"origin":410029,"position":5},"title":"No, Washington Post, Climate Change is Not Racist Against Australian Aboriginal People","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"03\/25\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A recent article at\u00a0The Washington Post, \u201cIn the Australian outback, climate change widens the racial divide,\u201d blames both racism and climate change for Australian Aboriginal people living in a hot Australian outback town. This is nonsense. Poverty is the main cause of their suffering, and part of the cause is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Australian Aboriginal people\"","block_context":{"text":"Australian Aboriginal people","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=australian-aboriginal-people"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Coober_Pedy_-_Underground_house.jpg?fit=1200%2C857&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Coober_Pedy_-_Underground_house.jpg?fit=1200%2C857&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Coober_Pedy_-_Underground_house.jpg?fit=1200%2C857&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Coober_Pedy_-_Underground_house.jpg?fit=1200%2C857&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Coober_Pedy_-_Underground_house.jpg?fit=1200%2C857&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=410029"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":410036,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410029\/revisions\/410036"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/410034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=410029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=410029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=410029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}