While the members of CityTrees may not be poets themselves, they appreciate the sentiments Kilmer expressed in his most famous poem. Moreover, CityTrees is working to increase the size of Redwood City's urban forest, not just because trees are lovely, but because they are useful, and without an active advocate, their benefits can be overlooked and underappreciated.

The aesthetic benefits of trees are probably the ones that people are most likely to mention when naming them. Everyone experiences them, and they have been the subject of human meditation for countless centuries. Who has not, at one time, watched the sunlight play on the ground beneath a tree, listened to the wind rustling the leaves, or stopped to look at the spectacle of a Liquidamber's fiery red leaves in the fall? A tree-filled landscape is the most familiar environment for people, and the most pleasant. It is why, even in arid regions that are not naturally full of trees, people plant them in proximity to where they live.

Besides being pleasant, trees have economic benefits. Indirect benefits, although hard to quantify exactly, include increased property values for individual homes, and whole neighborhoods, with mature trees. Direct benefits may come from home energy use for cooling and heating. A tree-shaded house uses less energy for air conditioning in summer, and a house with trees acting as a windbreak has reduced heating costs in winter. The energy saved individually, when totalled for an entire community, can reach thousands of dollars. Look at this calculator devised by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District that estimates electricity savings for cooling based on trees planted adjacent to a home.

Trees also have environmental benefits. They prevent soil erosion, and reduce rainwater runoff. They cool the air around themselves, by absorbing the sun's heat. Conversely, they prevent heat loss from the ground during the night, so that frost and dew fall are less common under trees. They absorb carbon dioxide, and give off oxygen. They absorb air pollutants, such as ozone and carbon monoxide. In short, they make the environment around them livable.

Unlike trees in non-urban spaces, urban trees need people. People must choose to plant and care for the trees that grow in their communities, on both public and private property. CityTrees members work with the city of Redwood City to ensure that its urban forest is healthy and growing.

• The number of municipal trees has increased from about 7 million in 1988 to an estimated 8 million in 2003.
• The ratio of plantings to removals has actually decreased from about 7 to 1 in 1988 to about 4.5 to 1 in 2003. Overall, cities have averaged roughly a 4% net increase per year in their tree inventories since 1988.
• About 22% of the cities and counties reporting removing more trees than they planted in 2003, up from 18% in 1988 having declined to 15% in 1992 and 1998.
• The lack of growing space for street trees is increasingly the leading factor in constraining species choice. This led to the growing dominance of small-stature, short-lived species for street tree use led by Crape Myrtle followed by Chinese Pistache and pear species (mainly Bradford pear).
• Urban forestry is still heavily dependent upon taxpayer support through city or county general funds. The average city tree budget per resident has declined in constant dollars from around $3 in 1988 to $2 in 2003; the median has declined from over $4 to about $3. However, small cities have actually increased spending somewhat while cities with populations over 100,000 have sharply reduced spending since 1992.
• Large city programs are adding full-time staff while a greater number of smaller programs have reduced staff.
• Community support for municipal tree programs has improved slightly since 1988 but still over 40% do not have Tree Boards and just over one-quarter have a tree advocacy organization.
• In 1992, 65% of the respondents had a tree ordinance with about the same number feeling they needed one. As of 2003, programs with an ordinance and those needing one increased to 80%. The ordinance provision that seems most effective is requiring tree planting as a condition for a new development.
• The most frequently and consistently cited benefits of their green infrastructure are in the areas of community pride and the economic contribution to business and property values.
• The #1 need of tree programs is more funding and citizen support (#3). Planting space was ranked # 2. The need for better tree care has dropped to # 4 rank probably due in large part to the push for certified tree care workers, both in the public and private sector.

As another option to provide safe, accessible and tree friendly sidewalks, the City of Redwood City has been using Poured in Place (PIP) resilient Paving as a part of their Tree Preservation and Sidewalk Replacement Program in the Adelante School neighborhood recently. The PIP is an ADA approved surfacing frequently used in parks and playgrounds to provide an accessible surface for wheelchairs to access park areas. The City uses it at certain tree locations because it reduces the amount of excavation around tree roots and limits the amount of root pruning which may otherwise be required to install concrete. The product is colored gray, closely matching the color of new concrete, and it feels a little more flexible under foot than the traditional concrete. A grant from the State of California helps pay for this Tire Derived Product, diverting at least 2,500 passenger car tires from the landfill. For more information, contact Mike Gibbons, Public Works Superintendent at 780.7464.

Planting a tree is a simple process - choose wisely and plant correctly. Good decisions and proper techniques are critical for avoiding heartache and future maintenance costs.

When folks ask me what tree they should plant, I always suggest that they take a walk to familiarize themselves with what is doing well in their neighborhood. Do you see something you like? Is it thriving? Find out what it is and do some research.

Once you know the plant's sun, soil, and space requirements, you can decide where to plant. A large evergreen tree might be better off on the north side of your home, rather than in front of the picture window that lets in winter light. A redwood would be a lovely addition to the CENTER of your front or backyard, not near your fence line or under the high voltage lines. Make sure there is room for the tree to thrive, not just grow.

After you choose your site, dig the hole wide, not deep. A good ratio is two times wider than the root ball, and a few inches deeper. In our clay soil and bay mud, it is a good idea to loosen the soil, especially the sides of the hole that can become impermeable to water and root penetration if smooth. Avoid the temptation to add any soil amendments. If you want to add something, after planting, place a layer of mulch in a foot wide circle around the base of the tree. Mulch breaks down and becomes organic matter and it will keep moisture in, weeds out.

Before you plant, locate the root crown. The plants have been in containers of planting mix, not soil, and on daily doses of 'fertigation'. As a result, fine and dense adventitious roots can develop on the stem above the root crown, and should be trimmed. In addition to adventitious roots, circling roots can form while growing in containers. Straighten and stretch them out into the planting hole before backfilling with soil. Cut them if they are too woody to straighten - a small cut will heal quickly and well, but a circling root left to grow into a girdling root might mean death to your tree. After any necessary root pruning, tamp down the loosened soil and place the tree in the hole. As you backfill, continue to gently tamp down the soil to prevent air pockets.

When finished, the top of the rootball should be visible and at the same level as the ground or sidewalk. Plant too high and the roots can dry out; plant too low and water can collect and rot the root crown. Lastly, make a watering berm and fill it up! Even native and drought tolerant plants need water to become established. Again, the trees are transitioning from a very regular water and fertilizer regime at the nursery. Initial deep watering is crucial to the long-term success of your tree. Remember when it comes to trees, we are planting for future generations - make a good choice, and give your trees a good start.

1. Safety - Work safely for yourself and others around you.
2. The leaves are the food producing parts of the tree that feed the tree. Removal of too many leaves can stunt growth.
3. Every cut made to a tree is a wound. Properly made pruning wounds can be naturally grown over and have inherent decay resistance.

Other objectives of pruning:

• Remove crossing and rubbing branches so that each branch has its own open area in which to grow.
• Perform correct pruning cuts so the tree retains natural decay resistance.
• Identify temporary branches and permanent branches. On small trees, temporary branches can be left along the lower trunk to help the trunk attain a larger diameter sooner. The temporary branches are removed before they exceed one to two inches in diameter so the pruning wound will be relatively small.
• A correct pruning cut will result in the removal of a branch back to a lateral branch that is at least ½ the diameter of the branch that is being cut.

See this website by Professor Ed Gilman of the University of Florida for comprehensive information about pruning.

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