DOING IT RIGHT FROM THE START: THE CASE FOR SITE ASSESSMENT IN URBAN PLANT ESTABLISHMENT

Abstract

With all of the best of intentions, anyone trying to plant trees or create a landscape in an urban context needs to have a firm understanding of environmental resources that allow trees to grow to their envisioned ultimate size. It is only through efforts that recognize and provide for the needs of the tree, will we gain the benefits for which we planted these plants in the first place – whether they be for shade, pollution reduction, reduced storm water runoff, increased property values, erosion control, habitats for wildlife, windbreaks, blocking undesirable views, creating parks for recreation and providing a link between our increasingly urban existence and the natural world, among many others.