88 College of Forestry 



streets may not be overcrowded with foliage, but in order 

 that the unsightly appearance of heaving sidewalks and 

 broken curbs may be reduced to a minimum. 



The Platanus Orientalis (The Plane 'Free), so beautiful 

 and hardy, and such ;i favorite for street use in other parts 

 of the city is not suitable for the narrow streets of Staten 

 Island although first rate on the wider thoroughfares, its 

 growth is so rapid that a large size is quickly obtained 

 making the disruption of curb and sidewalk a continuous 

 annoyance. 



The Quercus Palustris (The Phi Oak) and the Gingko 

 would be much more admirable trees for our purpose. The 

 narrow spread and slow rate of growth make them well 

 adapted for the narrow streets and scant parkings. 



On the wider streets of Richmond where the sidewalks 

 and parking areas are of reasonable width almost any satis- 

 factory street tree such as the Norway Maple, Linden, Elm, 

 etc., can be grown, since the general conditions of soil, 

 moisture and air are excellent. 



Existing Planting : 



The trees which at present exist in Richmond, (specially 

 on the older streets are almost universally Soft or Silver 

 Maples (Acer Saccharinum). Always a poor street tree, 

 this tree is especially unsuitable here. Its rapid growth 

 and large size have already played havoc with much of the 

 curbing and sidewalk, while the tendency of the tree to be 

 broken by wind and storm has caused them to be pruned 

 severely and wrongly, which has given ugly shaped trees full 

 of dead and dying branches. 



The great majority of these old trees contain much dead 

 wood, and are not worth pruning since such a process must 

 be a continual and expensive one if the trees are to be kept 

 in any reasonably attractive condition. Tt will be far better 

 to remove them as rapidly as possible and replace with bet- 

 ter varieties of trees such as T have suggested. 



Tn order to reduce any public clamor which might arise 

 at a wholesale removal of these trees, sufficient thinning 



