CHAPTER X 

 STREET AND AVENUE PLANTING 



THIS is a broad subject and yet it has been well covered by numer- 

 ous bulletins and books. There are a few important questions, how- 

 ever, which should be decided very definitely in the minds of those 

 who are selecting trees for use as street plantings. There is a group 

 of trees most of the types of which are entirely hardy under all condi- 

 tions. There is another group of trees which should seldom, if ever, 

 be used on streets, and there is a third group of trees which possess 

 some real value for street planting; but they should be selected only 

 with a thorough knowledge of the conditions under which they are 

 to be placed. 



In general, trees which are selected for street planting should be 

 symmetrical in character, they should be long lived, and they should 

 not be readily susceptible to injury from insects and smoke. 



There is a certain group of trees specimens of which can be safely 

 selected for street planting, either in city or suburban districts. This 

 group comprises such trees as the sugar maple, red oak, European 

 linden, and American elm, the last of which is best adapted to planting 

 on narrow streets because of its high-headed characteristic of growth. 

 Though it becomes very tall its vase-form enables it to reach above 

 dwellings that may be not far back from the street and to leave open a 

 vista down the street axis. The low, compact-headed types of trees, 

 such as the sugar maple, pin oak, and the linden ought to be planted 

 only on wide streets. While the use on narrow streets of such 

 vase-shaped trees as the elm allows for an unobstructed vista, the use 

 of such trees as the pin oak and linden, unless the lower branches are 

 severely pruned, has a tendency to "choke up" and to obstruct the 

 vista. 



A certain few trees should rarely, if ever, be used in street tree 

 planting. This list comprises such trees as the horse chestnut, box 

 elder, black locust, willows, birches, and poplars. Birches and locusts 

 are too short lived. The horse-chestnut and the box elder are littering 



