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Urban Trees Mislead Climate Change Predictions, Study Reveals

3/31/2025

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Summary

Story summary

A groundbreaking study from MIT and Harvard uncovers that urban heat islands may mislead predictions about climate change's effects on forests. By examining red oaks in Cambridge, researchers found that the limited genetic diversity of urban trees could conceal the real impacts of warming, revealing that these city trees might actually be more resilient than those in natural settings.

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Story summary

A groundbreaking study from MIT and Harvard uncovers that urban heat islands may mislead predictions about climate change's effects on forests. By examining red oaks in Cambridge, researchers found that the limited genetic diversity of urban trees could conceal the real impacts of warming, revealing that these city trees might actually be more resilient than those in natural settings.