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Climate Change

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Climate Change: Causes, Consequences & Solutions

All regions of the United States have experienced effects of climate change, such as changes in temperature, precipitation, sea level rise, storm intensity, tree health, pest pressure, wildfires, and worker safety.

Climate change presents opportunities and threats to Davey operations and our industry, so understanding the impacts of these changes is critical. The Davey Institute is leading the way by providing research-based educational resources to our employees, our customers, the green industry, and the general public.

On this page, you can find regionally-based climate change fact sheets, an interactive future hardiness zone map, and climate change blogs and interviews to learn about how climate change will impact your landscape and planting decisions, or your career in the arboriculture industry.

The next phase of the Davey climate science project will be to develop similar climate change projections for Canada.

Browse our resources below to learn more

Climate Change Fact Sheets

The Davey Institute has produced a series of fact sheets that summarize the effects of climate change projected to impact our industry over the next 30-70 years.

View our Executive Summary for the Climate Change Fact Sheet Series for Background.

The impacts of the average temperature of Earth increasing are readily apparent and projected to intensify including effects on temperature, precipitation, sea level, storm intensity, tree health, pest pressure, wildfire, and worker safety.

Select your region to view what changes you can expect (PDFs):

Northeast Region (ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, DE, PA, MD, DC, WV)

Southeast Region (VA, KY, NC, SC, GA, FL, TN, AL, MS, AR, LA)

Midwest Region (OH, IN, MI, IL, WI, MO, IA, MN)

Northern Great Plains (NE, ND, SD, WY, MT)

Southern Great Plains (TX, OK, KS)

Northwest Region (WA, OR, ID)

Southwest Region (CA, NV, UT, AZ, CO, NM)

>> Here's how climate change may affect the plants in your yard.

Talking Trees with Davey Scientist Dr. Daniel Herms

Dr. Daniel Herms, Vice President of Research & Development at Davey, shares recent climate change data and projections.

Climate Science Webinar Series

Dan Herms, Vice President of Research & Development for The Davey Institute, hosted a series of webinars outlining the impact of climate change on arboriculture and Davey's response to the changing environment.

Select your region from the list below to view the corresponding webinar recording:

Western US

Southeastern US

Northeastern US

Central US (covering Ohio to the Plains States and Colorado)
Interactive Future Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Trees in your yard are already adapted to the local climate. So as the climate changes, they find themselves in a situation they aren’t accustomed to, and this can stress them out and make them susceptible to drought, insect infestations, and disease infections.

See how your region's climate is shifting and the impact it has on planting so you can better understand how it may affect your landscape.

>> View the climate change map.
Connecting Trees as a Green Infrastructure for Climate Change Resilience

Trees are green infrastructure that contributes to climate change resilience through the important ecosystem services they provide.

For example, trees sequester and provide long-term storage of carbon, decrease stormwater runoff, conserve energy through shading and reduction in urban heat, and filter air pollutants.

Services provided by the tree care industry including tree planting, health care, and preservation are important adaptations that contribute to climate change resilience.

The magnitude and economic value of the ecosystem services generated by an individual tree, or an entire urban or natural forest, can be easily quantified using i-Tree, which is a suite of software tools developed through a collaboration of the. U.S. Forest Service, Davey Tree, Arbor Day Foundation, and other partners.
Davey in the News: Climate Change News & Updates

Get the latest news and updates on climate change:

Michael Sundberg, Denver, Associated Press: Why Climate Change is Making it Harder to Chase Fall Foliage

Dan Herms, NBCLX: Climate Change is Stalling the Process that Makes Leaves Change Color in the Fall

Dan Herms, BobVila.com: Growing Seasons are Getting Longer—What That Means for Your Home Landscape