Urban trees are trees located in urban areas. Urban trees can occur in developed landscapes such as along sidewalks, in parking lots, throughout a park, on homeowner properties and other public spaces like schools.

Urban trees form a tree canopy whose branches and leaves create an umbrella-like effect above the impervious surfaces associated with urban areas.

Benefits

  • Trees reduce the potential negative impacts of surface water runoff by intercepting and holding large volumes of precipitation on surface areas (ie. leaves, branches and trunks) while reducing soil erosion by slowing the speed of runoff on the ground. Their extensive roots systems increase the infiltration and storage of stormwater in the soil.
  • Trees are one of the most cost-effective practices to absorb stormwater.
  • Deciduous trees provide cooling shade that reduces utility bills in the summer, and strategically placed evergreens can buffer winter wind.
  • Native trees provide important habitat to support pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.

Quick Facts

air conditioner graphic. air quality meter graphic. water droplet graphic.
One mature tree has the same cooling effect as 10 room-sized air conditioners. Roadside trees reduce nearby indoor air pollution by more than 50 percent. A single, mature deciduous tree can intercept 500-760 gallons of rainfall per year.

Planting trees provides benefits that can exceed the costs of planting and maintaining them. These include cleaner air, higher property values, energy savings, wildlife habitat, stormwater runoff reduction, and improved water quality.

Planting & Maintenance

Give your trees a good start. Planting a tree is more than digging a hole. Before planting a tree, consider how the tree(s) will be maintained and who will maintain it for the life of the tree.

  1. Find the right tree for the right place
    • Dig safely! Before planting your tree, reach out to the 811 resource in your state for marking underground utilities. This service is free and an important step.
    • Choose a tree that is native to your region. Native trees tend adapt easier to their location, require less maintenance over time and provide better habitat for wildlife. Also consider the size of the tree at maturity to ensure it will fit in your space.
    • Choose a tree that will thrive in that location. Consider what type of soil is available in your planting site and what type of shade you want to achieve.
  2. Plant at the right time
    • The best time of the year to plant trees is in the fall or early spring.
  3. Use proper planting techniques and tools

Do you know how to plant a tree?

Maintenance Do’s and Don’ts

You’ll want to care for your new trees, especially within the first two years after planting. Maintenance is an important aspect of tree survival and can ensure a healthy, long-lived tree.

  • Water: Provide water to the tree’s root system once a week after the initial planting and especially during the hot dry summer periods. Short frequent watering discourages roots from spreading out, so when watering it is important to provide plenty of water and allow it to fully soak into the ground.

    Gator bag on a dogwood tree at the front of Dogwood Middle School in Richmond, VA. Gator bags help newly planted trees take root by slowly releasing water into the soil.

  • Mulch: Replace mulch as needed and eliminate the weed competition. Be sure to keep mulch at least 2 inches away from the base of the tree. Your mulch layer should resemble a donut, not a volcano.
  • Protection: Consider deer, vole  and other critter protection, if needed
  • Pruning: Prune as needed to encourage proper form. Proper pruning is an art! Otherwise you can damage the tree, it can get sick or even die. 
  • Avoid invasive trees! Trees like Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) and Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) were introduced to our region as ornamental plants. They often outcompete native vegetation and tend to form monocultures.

Additional Resources

Even with efforts towards restoring urban tree canopy across the Chesapeake Bay watershed through community tree plantings, there was still a net loss in tree coverage between 2013 and 2018 of about 25,000 acres. Help restore local forest cover by supporting the Alliance’s work or volunteering today.

Mulch around young trees helps retain soil moisture, prevent soil erosion, reduce pressures from invasive plants, and more.

Sources

  1. Chesapeake Bay Trust Urban Tree Canopy Fact Sheet: cbtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/Fact-Sheet-and-Guidelines_Urban-Tree-Canopy_042120.pdf
  2. University of Nebraska-Lincoln: news.unl.edu/article/study-trees-have-315-billion-impact-on-home-values-each-year
  3. CityGreen: citygreen.com/key-facts-on-urban-forests/
  4. Penn State Extension: extension.psu.edu/the-role-of-trees-and-forests-in-healthy-watersheds
  5. University of Maryland Extension: extension.umd.edu/resource/mulching-trees-and-shrubs/
  6. Arbor Day Foundation: arborday.org/value

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