The following was submitted to Glenside Local by the Abington Shade Tree Commission:

On a hot summer afternoon, most of us make the same choice without even thinking about it. 

We park beneath the lone shade tree instead of out in the open sun. We cross to the shady side of the street during a walk. At the park, neighbors fill the shaded benches while those in full sun remain empty. 

Those small, everyday choices reveal something we often take for granted about the neighborhoods we love. Trees don’t just make one spot cooler. They shape how comfortable an entire community feels.  But shade is only part of the story.  

A healthy tree does much more than block sunlight. As it moves water from its roots to its leaves, it releases moisture into the air through a process called transpiration. It’s nature’s own air-conditioning system. Combined with shade, that cooling effect can make a surprising difference. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, shaded surfaces can be 20 to 45 degrees cooler than those in direct sunlight, leading to higher air temperatures in unshaded urban/suburban areas, especially at night.  One tree can cool a backyard. Hundreds of trees can change how an entire neighborhood feels. 

You don’t need a thermometer to appreciate the difference. You can feel it the moment you step beneath the canopy of a tree-lined street. 

You’ve probably noticed it while walking down one of Abington’s older tree-lined streets, sitting on a shaded front porch, or simply stepping out of your car beneath a mature tree. One place invites you to slow down and enjoy the day. The next, with little shade, encourages you to get back inside as quickly as possible. 

The best shade in Abington wasn’t built. It was planted. 

Many of the mature trees that define Abington today were planted decades ago by homeowners who simply wanted to make their property a little more beautiful. They probably weren’t thinking about cooling sidewalks, making walks more comfortable, or helping create the character that so many of us enjoy today. Yet that’s exactly what those trees do. 

“On the hottest days of summer, you can feel the difference the moment you step beneath a mature tree,” says Robin Eisman of the Abington Shade Tree Commission. “When enough trees work together across a neighborhood, they don’t just cool one yard—they help make the entire community more comfortable.” 

That legacy continues every time a healthy mature tree is preserved and every time a new tree is planted for the future. 

The next time you find yourself choosing the shady side of the street, take a moment to look up. The tree above you isn’t just providing shade. It’s making an entire neighborhood more comfortable. 

Under the Canopy is a new column from the Abington Shade Tree Commission exploring the many ways trees quietly better life in our community. To learn more about the Commission, volunteer, or subscribe to its newsletter, email stc@abingtonpa.gov, visit www.abingtonpa.gov/stc, or follow Abington Trees on Facebook.  

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Photo: ASTC