BALTIMORE'S SHADE TREES 



By R. Brooke Maxwell, City Forester 



THE first efforts made by the city 

 of Baltimore toward the sys- 

 tematic planting of shade trees 

 on the public footways were 

 made by the Park Commissioners. The 

 Commissioners of a decade or so ago 

 conceived an idea that systematic tree 

 planting should be extended to include 

 public footways. At this time there 

 were no ordinances authorizing the 

 planting of trees on public footways, 

 and it was necessary for the Park 

 Commissioners to make a canvass of the 

 street on which they intended to plant, 

 and ask permission of the property 

 owners to place trees on the footway. 

 Several streets were planted in this 

 manner, and because of the personal 



whims of the property owners the plant- 

 ing could not be done systematically. 

 The plantations, therefore, in many 

 cases presented a ragged appearance. 

 After the trees were established the 

 Park Department being handicapped 

 by lack of legal support was not able 

 to give the necessary oversight, and to 

 carry on the cultiu-al operations. The 

 trees were therefore abused, some of 

 them removed, and the work of the 

 Park Commissioners in general was not 

 successfiil. 



Baltimore gradually came to realize 

 the fact that the shade trees of the city 

 were real city assets, the proper care of 

 which required a technical municipal 

 organization or department just as care 



Center Parking, Mt. Royal Avenue, Baltimore. 



SHOWING A planting OF ORIENTAL PLANES. ThESE TREES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE DEPART- 

 MENT OF PARKS 



