Urban trees can still grow and thrive despite many harsh conditions not experienced in native forests. Human-induced environmental stresses, such as air pollution, elevated temperatures, compacted soils, road salt, and confined spaces, take a toll on these important public resources. Because healthy community trees are the foundation of healthy urban forests, proper selection of tree species and planting sites is crucial. Careful planning ensures that the “right tree” is established in the “right place", reducing the risk of plants outgrowing a site, damaging roads, foundations, or sidewalks, or trees' susceptibility to diseases and insect infestations. The following resources inform site assessments for tree planting and guide site designs that ensure space and resources for urban and community trees.

Additional Tree Selection Resources

• Vermont Tree Selection Guide (PDF) is a Vermont-specific resources that will help you match trees to sites to achieve lasting shade and benefits. The second edition of this resources was released in the spring of 2022.
• Engineered stormwater management systems: promote growth of large trees with healthy root systems that maximize stormwater filtration.

Additional Tree Planting Resources

• The Science of Planting Trees: provides a wealth of information on the science behind planting trees, promoting root growth and reducing water stress imposed by a limited root system.

• Creating the Urban Forest the Bare Root Method: is a basic guide to bare root tree planting and lists its pros and cons.

• How to plant a bare root tree: Burlington City Arborist, VJ Comai, demonstrates how to properly plant a bare root tree.