Louisville Tests Assisted Tree Migration

This topic is about assisted tree migration: deliberately moving tree species or populations to places expected to fit future climate conditions better.

The material centers on Louisville, where tree advocates and researchers are planting southern-sourced oaks and other species to test whether they can survive hotter conditions expected over the next several decades. It matters because urban forests are being asked to deliver shade, cooling, and stormwater benefits even as warming, drought, soil conditions, and pests make tree survival less certain.