CUMBERLAND – Increasing plant life and reducing asphalt are the two simplest ways for a town to blunt the impacts of climate change, whether heat effects or flooding.

Nate Kelly, president of the consulting firm Horsley Witten Group, delivered his team’s initial findings with the Cumberland Climate Resilience Audit, meant to combat the effects of climate change, during the July 31 Planning Board meeting.

The Horsley Witten Group and Rhode Island Division of Statewide Planning are helping the town in updating land use tools, regulations, and other policies to increase resilience. Kelly and his team have updated the town’s regulations, zoning ordinance, and code of ordinances related to parking, landscaping, drainage, special flood hazard areas, soil erosion and sediment control, and storm

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