Hōʻike nā hopena ʻāina i ka emi ʻana o ka uhi lāʻau ma nā kūlanakauhale o ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa ma kahi o 4 miliona mau kumulāʻau i kēlā me kēia makahiki, e like me kahi noiʻi US Forest Service i paʻi ʻia ma Urban Forestry & Urban Greening.
Ua hōʻole ka uhi kumu lāʻau ma 17 o nā kūlanakauhale he 20 i kālailai ʻia ma ke aʻo ʻana, ʻoiai ʻo 16 mau kūlanakauhale i ʻike i ka piʻi ʻana o ka uhi impervious, ʻo ia hoʻi ka pavement a me nā hale. ʻO ka ʻāina i nalowale nā kumu lāʻau ma ka hapa nui i hoʻololi ʻia i mauʻu a i uhi ʻāina paha, uhi pale ʻole a i ʻole lepo ʻole.
ʻO nā kūlanakauhale he 20 i kālailai ʻia, ʻo ka hapa nui o ka poho makahiki i ka uhi lāʻau i loaʻa ma New Orleans, Houston a me Albuquerque. Ua manaʻo ka poʻe noiʻi e ʻike i ka nalowale nui o nā kumulāʻau ma New Orleans a ʻōlelo ʻia ʻo ia paha ma muli o ka luku ʻia ʻana o ka Hurricane Katrina i ka makahiki 2005. ʻO ka uhi o ka lāʻau mai kahi kiʻekiʻe o 53.9 pakeneka ma Atlanta a i kahi haʻahaʻa o 9.6 pakeneka ma Denver aʻo ka nui o ka uhi impervious i hoʻololi ʻia mai 61.1 pakeneka ma New York City a hiki i 17.7 pakeneka ma Nashville. ʻO nā kūlanakauhale me ka piʻi nui o ka uhi uhi ʻole i kēlā me kēia makahiki ʻo Los Angeles, Houston a me Albuquerque.
"Aia ko mākou ululāʻau kūlanakauhale ma lalo o ke kaumaha, a e hana pū mākou a pau i ka hoʻomaikaʻi ʻana i ke olakino o kēia mau wahi ʻōmaʻomaʻo koʻikoʻi," wahi a US Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. “Hiki i nā hui kaiaulu a me nā mea hoʻolālā kūlanakauhale ke hoʻohana i ka i-Tree no ka nānā ʻana i kā lākou uhi lāʻau ponoʻī, a hoʻoholo i nā mea kanu maikaʻi loa a me nā wahi kanu i ko lākou mau kaiāulu. ʻAʻole i lōʻihi ka hoʻihoʻi ʻana i ko mākou mau ululāʻau kūlanakauhale - ʻo ka manawa kēia e hoʻohuli ai i kēia."
ʻO nā pōmaikaʻi i loaʻa mai nā kumulāʻau kūlanakauhale e hāʻawi i ka hoʻihoʻi ʻana i ʻekolu manawa ʻoi aku ka nui ma mua o nā kumukūʻai mālama lāʻau, e like me $2,500 i nā lawelawe kaiapuni e like me ka hoʻemi ʻana i nā kumukūʻai mehana a me ka hoʻomaha ʻana i ka wā o ka lāʻau.
Ua hoʻohana nā mea noiʻi ulu lāʻau ʻo David Nowak lāua ʻo Eric Greenfield o ka US Forest Service's Northern Research Station i nā kiʻi ukali e ʻike i ka emi ʻana o ka uhi kumu lāʻau ma kahi o 0.27 pakeneka o ka ʻāina i kēlā me kēia makahiki ma nā kūlanakauhale ʻo ʻAmelika, ʻo ia ka mea e like me ka 0.9 pakeneka o ka uhi lāʻau o ke kūlanakauhale e nalowale ana i kēlā me kēia makahiki.
Hāʻawi ka wehewehe kiʻi o nā kiʻi kikohoʻe i hoʻopaʻa ʻia i kahi ala maʻalahi, wikiwiki a haʻahaʻa e loiloi i nā loli i waena o nā ʻano uhi like ʻole. No ke kōkua ʻana i ka helu ʻana i nā ʻano uhi i loko o kahi wahi, kahi mea hana manuahi, i-Tree Canopy, hiki i nā mea hoʻohana ke unuhi kiʻi i ke kūlanakauhale me nā kiʻi Google.
"He wahi koʻikoʻi nā lāʻau o ka ʻāina kūlanakauhale," wahi a Michael T. Rains, Luna Hoʻokele o ka Northern Research Station. "He kuleana ko lākou i ka hoʻomaikaʻi ʻana i ka maikaʻi o ka ea a me ka wai a hāʻawi i nā pono kaiapuni a me ka pilikanaka. E like me ka ʻōlelo a ko mākou Luna Hoʻokele Nahele, '…ʻo nā kumulāʻau kūlanakauhale ka lāʻau hana ikaika loa ma ʻAmelika.' He waiwai nui kēia noiʻi no nā kūlanakauhale o nā ʻano nui a puni ka ʻāina.
Ua hoʻopau ʻo Nowak lāua ʻo Greenfield i ʻelua kānana, hoʻokahi no 20 mau kūlanakauhale i koho ʻia a ʻo kekahi no nā kūlanakauhale kūloko o ka ʻāina, ma ka loiloi ʻana i nā ʻokoʻa ma waena o nā kiʻi kiʻi kiʻi kiʻi kiʻi kiʻi hou loa i hiki a me nā kiʻi kiʻi e pili kokoke ana i ʻelima mau makahiki ma mua o kēlā lā. Kūlike nā ʻano hana akā ʻokoʻa nā lā a me nā ʻano kiʻi ma waena o nā loiloi ʻelua.
"E ʻoi aku ka nui o ka poho o ka uhi lāʻau inā ʻaʻole no ka hana kanu lāʻau i hana ʻia e nā kūlanakauhale i nā makahiki i hala aku nei," wahi a Nowak. "Ke kōkua nei nā hoʻolaha kanu lāʻau i ka hoʻonui ʻana a i ʻole ka liʻiliʻi e hōʻemi i ka nalowale o ka uhi lāʻau o ke kūlanakauhale, akā ʻo ka hoʻohuli ʻana i ke ʻano hiki ke koi i nā papahana ākea, ākea a i hoʻohui ʻia e kālele ana i ka mālama ʻana i ka uhi kumu lāʻau holoʻokoʻa."