Silva Cell Facilitates Urban Tree Growth

The paved surfaces that make our cities possible also absorb and trap heat, contributing to the urban heat island effect. These same surfaces prevent stormwater from soaking into the soil, meaning that rain washes petroleum, suspended solids, heavy metals, pathogens, and other toxins into the watershed via storm sewers. Trees and the soil they grow in mitigate both these problems by shading cities and providing permeable surfaces. Unfortunately, urban soils are compacted, which limits root development and the size of the leaf canopy while dooming most urban trees to life spans of less than ten years.

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