City Trees

The region's urban forest will experience both direct and indirect impacts from a changing climate Common Species with Low Vulnerability Common Species with High Vulnerability Trees to Try with Low Vulnerability Amur Honeysuckle i Balsam Fir American Elm Cul?vars ('Accolade', 'Discovery', 'Fron?er', 'Triumph') Black Locust Black Cherry Chestnut Oak Black Oak Douglas Fir Chinese Juniper Boxelder Eastern Hemlock Common Persimmon Bur Oak Gray Birch Kousa Dogwood European and Glossy Buckthorn i Jack Pine Scholar Tree Freeman Maple Paper Birch Shantung Maple Gingko Quaking Aspen Sunset Maple Li[leleaf Linden White Pine Willow Oak Northern Hackberry White Spruce Yellowwood There are many species not commonly planted in the area are likely to do well under future condi?ons. These can be considered as an alterna?ve to invasive species or those that may be vulnerable. We used habitat suitability models, projected changes in heat and hardiness zones, and assessments of species adaptability to stressors such as pests, flooding, wind, and temperature extremes to es?mate the overall vulnerability of species commonly planted in the Chicago region as well as those recommended for plan?ng. Overall, half of all species in the region have low vulnerability, but many of the low vulnerability species are nonna?ve invasive or weedy species. i invasive species SUMMARY AND HIGHLIGHTS Chicago Wilderness Region Urban Forest Vulnerability Assessment and Synthesis Low emissions High emissions 1980 to 2009 2010 to 2039 2040 to 2069 2070 to 2099 1980 to 2009 2010 to 2039 2040 to 2069 2070 to 2099 Hardiness zone 5b-6a 5b-6a 6a-6b 6a-6b 5b-6a 6a-6b 6b-7a 7a-7b Heat zone 4-5 5-6 5-6 5-6 4-5 6-7 7-8 8 high 10% moderate- high 6% moderate 16% low- moderate 18% low 50% Percentage of trees in the region within each vulnerability category Informa?on from tree species habitat suitability models, hundreds of scien?fic papers, and local urban forestry professionals' exper?se were combined to assess the effects of climate change on the region's urban forest and trees. Hardiness zones and, more recently, heat zones are used to determine suitability for plan?ng. We used downscaled climate model projec?ons to es?mate how heat and hardiness zones may change in the coming decades. Increases in temperature may lead to an increase of 1-2 hardiness zones and 2-4 heat zones.

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