Date of Award

9-1-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Environmental Science (M.Env.Sc.)

Department

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

First Advisor

Yujuan Chen

Abstract

As a nature-based solution to combat urban heat islands, urban forests can provide cooling and other co-benefits. However, little is known about the cooling benefits of urban forests in parking lots and under different land covers, especially with field observations. To address this gap, we measured air temperature (AT) and relative humidity (RH) and calculated heat index (HI) in three urban settings in Nashville, TN, in summer 2024. The research sites included: 1) Two different parking lots: parking lots with and without trees; 2) Three different distances from trees within the parking lot with trees: under trees, near trees, and open space; and 3) Three different land cover types: high tree canopy cover with grasses, low tree canopy cover with grasses, and no tree canopy cover with grasses only. We found that the parking lot with trees had a 0.15°C lower maximum AT than the parking lot without trees. Interestingly, the area under trees recorded the highest average AT (26.79°C), maximum AT (33.16°C), and average HI values (28.05°C) compared to areas near trees or open space. Under different land covers, the areas with high tree canopy cover tended to offer more cooling than the areas covered by grasses only or low tree canopy cover with grasses during 8:00-10:00 am. Understanding these spatial and temporal dynamics is essential for optimizing urban forest planning and management to achieve a cooler future in cities. These data are also useful to validate remote sensing models to assess the cooling benefits of urban forests.

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