Selecting Residential Trees by SIZE

Making knowledgeable choices about tree species for your home (or garden) is important. Species is THE most important choice you can make both for proper root behavior and water usage... and those factors affect whether the mature tree will cause problems with plumbing or rub your roof raw!

If you know the name of a tree you want to consider and need more information, you can find great detailed information at your local university Extension Centers. But if you don't know tree names, you can use some of the online directories to help you select the right size, shape, color, seasonal cycles...and even the kind of seeds, nuts or fruit possible with your new mini-forest.

Trees are vital to urban livability. Trees provide shade to cool city hardscapes, they provide watershed replenishment by reducing stormwater runoff, and they provide habitat for local wildlife -- and children -- be they wild or not so wild. (Children benefit greatly by having a favorite climbing tree!)

The University of Illinois Extension provides a great directory of trees by SIZE, TOLERANCE, EXPOSURE, USE and PESTS at their website: Selecting Trees for Your Home: BY SIZE

PROBLEM:  Improperly selected tree species is the greatest cause of early demise of mature trees.

SOLUTION:  Select trees for their mature size and shape -- and then maintain them for longterm benefits of shade, water retention, air pollution filtration and higher property value!