74 TREES AS GOOD CITIZENS 



and planning as to species and location as does the more 

 formal planting of city streets. 



The placing of the rows of trees on a street is depen 

 dent on the width of street and the character of its use. 

 The spacing of the trees in the rows, however, is dependent 

 primarily on the species to be used, as well as on the dis 

 tance between rows and the closeness with which buildings 

 have approached or are likely to approach the trees. 

 Large growing trees should be placed from 60 to 80 feet 

 apart, although the practice in many places is to plant 

 them as close together as 30 to 35 feet. Smaller trees 

 should be planted more closely. When the distance 

 between the rows of trees is greater than three-fourths of 

 the proper distance between specimens, then the trees may 

 properly be planted opposite one another; but when rows 

 are closer together than that, then the trees had better 

 be staggered, that is, the trees on one side of the street 

 should be planted opposite the middle of the space be 

 tween the trees on the other side. On narrow residence 

 streets, with liberal lawns in front of the houses, large 

 trees may sometimes be used by increasing the distance 

 between the trees in the row, so that the distance to the 

 nearest tree on the other side of the street is as great as 

 that to the nearest tree on the same side of the street 

 would be, if the trees were planted a normal distance apart. 



To be successful, tree spacing must ignore lot lines 

 and lot ownership, the trees being placed at the proper 

 distances apart for the effect of the street as a whole, 

 irrespective of whether or not a tree comes in front of 

 every lot. This sometimes causes dissatisfaction, but it 

 is essential to success. If the idea that tree planting is a 

 community function for community benefit, in the same 

 way as street paving or sewers, can be impressed on the 

 owners in contrast to the idea of individual ownership 



