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Event Aims to Map Downtown Louisville's Tree Canopy

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Louisville’s Urban Design Studio is looking for help cataloging downtown trees.The city’s large trees have been decimated by storms and drought over the past few years, and during the summer, Louisville temperatures are several degrees higher than those in surrounding areas. More trees would help reduce this urban heat island effect.The Urban Design Studio has plotted all the trees in downtown with the help of aerial maps, but director Patrick Piuma says he hopes to collect more information.“Particularly knowing the condition and the location of the trees, you can start to evaluate where we might be missing tree canopy, where there’s opportunities to put more trees,” he said.Of special importance are ash trees, which are expected to be ravaged in the next few years by the emerald ash borer, an invasive pest. Those trees need to be identified, so they can be removed once they’re infected and before they pose a safety problem.Piuma is looking for volunteers to help collect that. As part of Give A Day—the mayor’s week of service—the Urban Design Studio is holding a volunteer event on Sunday, but volunteers are welcome any time before and after that.Click here for more information, or to sign up.