On a recent, muggy afternoon, Charlotte city arborist Laurie Reid filled a five-gallon bucket with water and held it up. Water streamed out from the three small holes she drilled near the bottom of the bucket.
“It’s coming out nice and slow, and that’s going to be able to soak that ground,” Reid said.
Mandatory water restrictions are still in place, with the city restricting when and how residents water their lawns and other greenery.
The drought has stressed the city’s trees, leaving them more susceptible to insect infestation and disease. On top of that, the weeks-long heat wave is straining their ability to cool down. Similar to how humans sweat, trees release water onto their leaves for evaporation, cooling them through a process called evapotranspiration…