Trees are an investment in our communities and our futures.  They shade our homes, beautify our landscapes, improve property values, lower utility bills, clean the air, cool our cities and neighborhoods, and mitigate the impacts of climate change. In short, a thriving urban canopy is critical to our wellbeing.

For all of the benefits that they provide, trees planted in urban environments endure harsh conditions like compacted soil, limited soil moisture, limited root space, and air pollution.

So, the trees we plant in the urban forest must be:

• Visually appealing and symmetrical, which requires exacting nutritional and pruning practices in the nursery;
• Tough, with the ability to establish quickly in difficult conditions, requiring a fibrous, well-developed root system that is achieved by consistent root pruning on certain species in the nursery.