Phoenix: Central Ave between Northern and Camelback...

[HX_Guy]

I was driving in the area on Saturday evening and it was 90 degrees out according to my car's temp., then as I passed Northern the temerature started dropped...kept dropping and got as low as 84 degrees. As soon as I passed Bethany Home and approched Camelback, it rose to 91 degrees!

It was pretty amazing what a huge different the large trees and lots of grass does in that two mile stretch. I'd love to have a house down there.

[kevininlb]

It is really incredible what a bit of shade can do. I bought my condo specifically because my balcony is never in the sunlight, or never direct sun (facing due north). Anyway, my neighbor and I were comparing temps; she's in direct sunlight. Her balcony the other day was 99 degrees; mine, directly across from her, was 89 degrees. More shade, please...

[PHX31]

Yeah, that area of the city is awesome. Aren't all of those trees planted on Central actually replacements? I think I remember reading that there was an even more stupendous tree canopy in that area and the canopy used to completely cover Central, but they were all cut down for some reason (disease? stupidity?). They were then all replanted and have grown to what we have now.

Shade does work wonders. Currently at my house I have nearly zero backyard landscaping and it feels very hot back there. I went to my neighbor's backyard, which has many large shade trees, and it felt comfortable, cool even.

[Vicelord John]

better bring several millions for one of those homes.

[soleri]

Originally Posted by PHX31

Yeah, that area of the city is awesome. Aren't all of those trees planted on Central actually replacements? I think I remember reading that there was an even more stupendous tree canopy in that area and the canopy used to completely cover Central, but they were all cut down for some reason (disease? stupidity?). They were then all replanted and have grown to what we have now.

Shade does work wonders. Currently at my house I have nearly zero backyard landscaping and it feels very hot back there. I went to my neighbor's backyard, which has many large shade trees, and it felt comfortable, cool even.

Those trees were ash, the same as the trees there now. They formed a full canopy over Central most of the way from Bethany Home to the Arizona Canal. They were cut down around 1970 partly because they were getting old and there was concern they could come down in a storm. Aleppo pines were then planted in their place but after several disappointing years of slow growth, they were replaced with ash trees. Most of the pines were saved, btw. They were replanted at Mountain View Park (north 7th Avenue & Mountain View).

Why don't we have a better tree-planting program in Phoenix? A lot of it is a misplaced zeal to conserve water. Yes, this is a desert, but all the asphalt and concrete has made Phoenix much hotter during the night. Trees and lawn actually are a simple solution to the hostile environment we've created here.
Downtown, in particular, needs real shade. For some utterly inexplicable reason, our civic leadership doesn't get it.

[plinko]

^Because crepe myrtle trees and mesquites are just so pretty!

[CANUC]

^I don’t think mesquites are that bad. I actually like the Chilean Mesquite. As long as maintenance is kept up the tree provides an abundance of shade, grows rapidly, tolerates heat, lacks the larger thorns of more aggressive mesquites and doesn’t require very much water once its established. A nice example of these trees grouped together for great shade can be seen along Van Buren at the Arizona Center.

[nbrindley]

I'm also a big fan of mesquites. They provide lots of shade, and, being a desert tree, don't require much water. I also happen to think that they are very attractive.

There's another 'cool' area near my parent's house around Cave Creek and Cactus. Head south on Cave Creek from that intersection on a summer night with your windows down. On the west stide of the road, there's a gas station, AAMCO, and a bar, then desert, which includes a large rock face where they carved out the hillside for the road. Anyway, as soon as you pass that bar and are adjacent to the desert, the temperature drops dramatically, like 10 degrees. Even next to the rock face it is much cooler than next to development. It is amazing how much more heat concrete holds than rock even.

[Vicelord John]

Originally Posted by nbrindley

I'm also a big fan of mesquites.

I kept reading this to say mosquitos.

[nbrindley]

lol, definitely not. especially now that I live in Iowa. they're like a frickin plague here.