street trees?

Hey folks -

A post about the qualities of Rhus Lancea on the Facebook group got me thinking about street trees. So many people have asked me about street trees over the years - a hard thing to choose, what with local ordinances, overhead wires, pavement surrounds, abuse by any passerby, cars, etc.

I live in a pretty urban environment, so the conditions are even more extreme - e.g. lots of dust/soot from busy paved street. In such a setting, I usually suggest a deciduous tree so that there is fresh foliage each year (instead of a build up of dirty, sooty leaves), though large falling leaves can cause their own headaches.

Wondering what experiences you may have with street trees - what works well and why. What settings you've seen them in.

Roots are often seen as a problem - some species are notorious surface rooters. But many with otherwise well behaved roots seem to exhibit problems lifting pavement. My own belief is that irrigation techniques tend to encourage this problem. When the old available water is at the surface (due to shallow watering techniques) then the roots grow there, and ultimately enlarge to cause problems. Deep irrigation send tree roots deep into the soil, where they can also find other water sources.

I had a direct experience with this when asked to weigh in on choices of street trees in a neighborhood I lived in years ago. I encouraged everyone on my own block to irrigate deeply (a continuous tiny trickle of water over a couple of days, then no water for two weeks or more). Other blocks practiced a variety of techniques, based on each owner's opinion.

That single block of trees, even today (a couple of decades later) established themselves very well, are healthy, straight, and with well-behaved roots. Other plantings in the neighborhood exhibit the usual spotty survival rate, with several mis-shapen trees (or even some replacement due to failure). It was such a profound learning experience.
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