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 Planting Permits Required
For planting street trees, make sure you have previously contacted the Arborist’s Office to obtain the Planting Permit and to have your planting location verified by an arborist inspector, who places a green “T” mark on the curb or sidewalk designating an approved planting location. Once trees are planted in the ground and established, it is difficult to move trees. Therefore care needs to be given to insure that the trees are planted correctly, since their initial planting location will likely be their home for the rest of their life. Initial mistakes in planting will likely lead to problems later on that could be crucial to the health and development of the tree.
Inspecting the Nursery Stock
The young tree should be inspected to make sure it is free of significant defects, such as poor branching structure, major wounds, girdling roots, and disease or insect infestations. Trees that have been in their nursery container too long are poor candidates for planting. Even though their canopies might be larger as compared to a younger specimen, by lifting the tree out of the container, it will be evident if there are roots that have overgrown the available soil space and are circling around one another. If planted as is, these trees will likely not become well anchored in the soil and the girdling roots will choke off proper root and trunk development. Reject the tree if these problems are evident and cannot be corrected by root pruning.
Planting Correctly
It is important to spend the time necessary to dig a proper sized hole in which to plant the tree. Since the root ball should not be planted too deep into the soil, the planting hole should only be about as deep as the root ball, but should be much wider than to the root ball to provide a good environment for lateral root development. Since it is likely that the soil will settle somewhat after planting, it is best to keep the root ball a little higher at planting so that it will settle to match the surrounding soil level. DO NOT BURY THE TREE TOO DEEP, as that can lead to root rot and decay at the base of the trunk. A basin can be created around the outer edge of the planting hole to provide adequate volume to keep the tree well watered. Soak the newly planted tree deeply to settle the soil and collapse large air pockets in the soil. A 3-4” thick organic mulch, such as wood or bark chips, will help to conserve water and protect the roots from high temperatures. Keep the tree well watered for the first several years to help establish a deep root system.
Staking the Tree
Most trees will require initial staking to give them proper support until their root system has developed to support the tree. However, the nursery stake usually installed immediately adjacent to the trunk should be removed at planting to provide some movement in the trunk so that it develops strength. A proper support stake should instead be installed into the soil on the outside of the root ball. This stake is only intended to be in place for 2-3 years, otherwise the tree may grow to be dependent on the stake and may fall over once the stake is removed.
Planting Details for planting street trees:
Homeowners Click Here (PDF)
Contractors Click Here (PDF)
Click here for permit request form
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