Tree canopies protect us from heat
Planting trees is a small move that can have a big impact on climate change
Kristy Dyer - Oct 20, 2026 5–6 minutes
Importance of planting trees
If you're feeling despair about global warming, it might be a good idea to turn your attention to “climate adaptation.”
What is the difference between “climate action” and climate adaptation”? Climate action is taking steps to prevent or delay global warming. Climate adaptation knows global warming is coming and asks "What can I invest dollars in today that will save me millions in the future?".
As a city, there's a number of places for climate adaptation. The one in full swing all around you is people adding ductless air-conditioning heat pumps to their homes to cope with our ageing society and our hotter summers.
You could also work on hardening infrastructure, which means making sure that the cities drinking water, electric, sewage, and flooding infrastructure are ready for both droughts, floods and fires.
If you follow my column, you'll know that I'm not generally in favour of personal action against climate change. Decisions made at the global level, the federal level (especially about oil), the provincial level and the local level have a much bigger impact on Canada's carbon footprint than whether you recycle. (It still matters if you eat beef, drive an EV or take airplane flights, but everything else is just moving the deck chairs in the Titanic).
I am going to make an exception for one kind of personal action. In 2024, the City of Penticton carried out a study that found the city as a whole is probably losing trees at the rate of about 1% per year.
We think of trees as immortal and robust but urban trees run an exhausting gauntlet. Every gardener knows not everything you plant survives the first year. Trees that live to maturity die from old age, disease, drought and infection. In the city, trees have to be removed because they invade sewer lines or waterlines or interfere with electrical infrastructure. They're also cut down because they endanger buildings. The downside of a healthy level of economic and population growth is that every empty lot you see will eventually have a building on it. If it has trees on it, they'll probably get cut down.
“Densification” or “building up” is a better way to grow than “building out” but in the Okanagan it's not just a policy—it's a geographical requirement. Penticton, for instance, is hemmed in by two lakes, the Penticton Indian Band reserve and land in the provincial Agricultural Land Reserve.
However, when we take a single family dwelling and replace it with duplexes, mature tree trees are usually a casualty. A total of 56% of the Penticton tree canopy is on private property and that is where we could have the biggest impact.
Homeowners or landlords in the Okanagan are probably confused. Should their property be “Fire Smart”? Should it be xeric? Should it be covered with rocks? Should owners plant for pollinators? Should they plant only native plants?
To make this simple, either you do, or you do not, live in the wildfire development permit area shown here. If you live in the area, your property (which hopefully has more acreage) should follow the Fire Smart guidelines, which ask you to refrain from planting trees closer than 10 meters to your house.
Everyone else in Penticton lives in an urbanized landscape and it has already been “ruined” by paving and grass monoculture, so adding a non-native tree is actually an improvement.
If you have private property in urbanized Penticton, here are the reasons to plant a big tree:
• Trees will shade your house. If you plant a deciduous tree, you’ll get plenty of sun in the winter, and then shade in the summer.
• Well behaved trees can add 5% to 15% to a home’s value and decrease the time needed to sell. Trees that threaten to tip over on the house or invade the basement obviously are not a selling feature.
• Trees absorb carbon, especially during the first half of their life.
• Trees prevent the evaporation of moisture, offsetting drought.
• Trees slow and clean stormwater runoff so that the lakes receive less heavy metals from brake dust and bits of tires, herbicides (Roundup) and fertilizer (especially phosphorus).
• Trees require less water than a lawn,
Contact the City of Penticton Parks Capital Projects Supervisor Ysabel Contreras to see if you could get a tree in front of your home.
Kelowna has a great program that supports property owners planting appropriate trees through a bulk purchase program. They has a good list that you can find here.
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best is now.
Private and public canopy cover in Penticton.
Photo: 2024 City of Penticton Urban Forest Management Plan
Private and public canopy cover in Penticton.
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