A Shade Tree Guide 



This bulletin will be helpful to municipal authorities and to those 

 who wish to maintain vigorous, attractive trees on their properties. 

 Few people realize that any tree standing beside a sidewalk, or even 

 on a lawn, is out of its element (the forest), and that the strains 

 and dangers to which it is subject must be counteracted in every 

 way possible. The advice given refers particularly to New Jersey; 

 it is applicable to most of the eastern United States. 



The value of shade trees. Tho it is now well established that a 

 shade tree has a value beyond that of its wood, or the cost of plant- 

 ing a new one, and that neither individuals nor public service agencies 

 can injure one without becoming liable for damages, it is advisable 

 always to avoid such troubles. 



Street trees and lawn trees. It is needful to distinguish between 

 street trees and lawn trees because only a few deciduous species, 

 and no evergreens, can be maintained on narrow paved ways, 

 whereas a lawn admits a variety of trees and shrubs, deciduous and 

 evergreen, that is limited only by space and climatic conditions. On 

 streets and lawns close to the sea the available kinds of trees are 

 few, and extreme care in their selection and nurture is required. 



Street Trees 



Shade Tree Commission. It is always advisable to have street 

 trees under the control of a Shade Tree Commission, such as is main- 

 tained in many communities in New Jersey and in several other 

 states. These organizations can secure better results than indi- 

 viduals. 



Old trees. An established tree, even of poor kind, is better than 

 a newly planted one. Unless an old tree is decrepit or a nuisance it 

 should be saved until a new one can be started to take its place. If 

 young trees are planted between old ones before the latter have to 

 be removed there will be less objection to taking away the unde- 

 sirable ones than there may be if gaps are created. (Fig. 2.) 



What to plant. In the choice of trees for street planting there is 

 no room for experiments ; one must select a kind that will live, and 

 give satisfaction, for many years under fixed, and usually unfavor- 

 able, conditions. It is generally agreed that an acceptable street tree 

 must be of form suited to the space, hardy and not subject to insects 

 or disease, fairly rapid in growth, a good shade producer, and neat in 

 that it drops no objectionable litter. The list of available trees is 

 practically limited to the following. In most cases choice should be 

 restricted to the kinds indicated by italic type. 



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