Don’t neglect your trees in the drought

All those trees overhead, large or small, contribute to keeping the yard and neighborhood cool. Help them survive the drought. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Sacramento Tree Foundation offers watering tips

Trees are crucial to staying cool when the weather is sweltering. Sacramento is the City of Trees because the early residents understood this, and planted hundreds to keep the city more comfortable in summer. (No AC in those days, of course.)

But trees in a drought are in danger of weakening or dying if not watered properly — and then you lose their multiple benefits of shade, oxygen, habitat for wildlife and just beautiful looks. Think about where your trees are located. Next to or in a lawn that you’ve stopped watering? That tree is used to a certain amount of water and will suffer. 

The Sacramento Tree Foundation notes that the last drought killed many trees in California, including Sacramento. SacTree recently published a two-page guide for tree care in a drought. The group notes that it costs only $3 per month to keep a mature tree watered — about the same as a cup of coffee. Check the guide out here.

— Kathy Morrison