PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Portsmouth took a major step Friday morning toward reducing extreme heat across the city. Volunteers with Cool Down P-Town spent hours planting trees at Columbia Park as part of a long-term plan to cool some of the hottest neighborhoods in Hampton Roads.

The effort comes after a 2024 study revealed large portions of Portsmouth are overloaded with pavement and lack greenspace, causing the city to trap dangerous levels of heat. Community partners believe trees are one of the most effective tools to fight it.

Volunteers planted about 65 trees and 35 shrubs along the walking path at Columbia Park off Elm Avenue. The path currently has little to no shade, which researchers say limits safe outdoor activity during the summer.

“Now we're excited we can start working on solut

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