Our Changing Climate

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Mitigating and Adapting to Climate Change

In the fall 2015, 2016, and 2018 issues of the Arboretum Bulletin, editor Niall Dunne wrote a three-part series entitled “Our Changing Climate,” focusing on the implications of the climate crisis for plants and gardens in the Pacific Northwest.
Predicted changes for our region include hotter, drier summers; warmer, wetter winters; more frequent and intense wildfires; and new pest and disease problems. The severity of these changes will vary depending on how much we curb future emissions of greenhouse gases.

Part 1: Reducing Your Garden’s Climate Footprint
Part 2: Adapting Your Garden to the Coming Conditions
Part 3: Implications for Native Plant Communities in the Pacific Northwest

Related Links

Desert Garden at the Anderson School, by Phil Wood (summer 2019)

Evolution of a Summer-Dry Garden, by Phil Wood (summer 2017)

Trees and Shrubs for a Warmer Seattle, by Christina Pfeiffer (fall 2016)

gravel pathway lined with Mediterranean plants

Shelagh Tucker’s summer-dry garden, Seattle (Photo: Phil Wood).

Restoring the Hydrology of Arboretum Creek

Restoring the Hydrology of Arboretum Creek

Local non-profit the Friends of Arboretum Creek is working with King County and the Arboretum partners to improve the ecology of the creek and watershed in and around the park. A key initiative is the Headwaters Project, which will help restore year-round waterflow to...