In the nearly three decades that Barbara Driscoll has lived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the city has become brighter. Sunshine pours onto parts of town that she remembers being cool and shady and bounces off windows in newly built apartments and shopping centers. It’s a sign that the city’s tree canopy, one of its defining features, is disappearing.
Chapel Hill, in Orange County, is just one of many North Carolina communities experiencing an influx of residents and, in turn, significant tree loss. The state, among the fastest growing in the country, is losing an average of 4,500 acres of urban canopy to development each year, according to a 2020 climate risk assessment. It’s an especially troubling trend as climate change accelerates: Along with their scenic appeal, these towering trees provide shade, prevent flooding and erosion by soaking up rainfall, and absorb carbon dioxide.
What’s more, clearing space for new homes is costing birds and other wildlife their habitats. Wood Thrushes, for example, nest in the state’s city and suburban forests, while Kentucky Warblers and other long-distance migrants rely on those woods for stopovers…