Book 4, Question 19
Why Do Forests Feel Cooler?
A forest is living shade, plus living air conditioning. Leaves block the sun, and they release water vapor that carries heat away. So the air under the trees feels cooler.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 4
More fun facts
- Trees can cool the land around them.
- In the eastern United States, places where forests grew back were up to 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit cooler on the hottest days than nearby areas without forests.
- Cool air from a forest can drift out into the surrounding area.
- Forests help move heat from the ground up into the air.
- Forests also help make clouds, which shade the ground and add to the cooling.
Sources: Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine
Questions kids ask
Do trees make the air cooler?
Yes. Studies found forests cool the land around them and help make cooling clouds.