Nothing dresses up an urban neighborhood like healthy trees. Plus, trees help clean up the air and help lower temperatures in the summer. The key is planting the right tree in the right place says Dr. Don Leopold at SUNY-ESF.
"Some of our favorite trees, like our state tree, the Sugar Maple, a beautiful tree but when it's in an urban setting it just cannot handle the compacted soil. The rather extreme soil conditions in terms of drying conditions and they especially can't tolerate salinity," said Dr. Leopold.
And size is a very important factor.
"Well if you're not really sure about the size of the tree in relation to your lot, it's probably not a bad idea to compromise and go with a typically medium-sized tree like the River Birch, for example. It never gets to be a monster tree that Yellow Poplar does," Dr. Leopold said.
Nothing dresses up an urban neighborhood like healthy trees and choosing the right tree for your lot is important. Terry Ettinger has more.
The River Birch, one of the trees Dr. Leopold suggested as being very well adapted to many urban setting,s but there are other trees however that can cause real problems, as he explained.
"There are a lot of trees that one should stay away from regardless of how much room they have and no matter what they want and those are the trees that are ending up on the invasive species list of many states, including New York, and a great example is the Norway Maple. It certainly provides excellent shade but little else and it's invading all our woodlands," Dr. Leopold said.
If you would like additional technical information about adding trees to your community please visit the SUNY-ESF Urban Forestry website. Also keep in mind that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Urban Forestry Grant deadline is coming up this June 4th. Grant applications are available at www.dec.gov.