Friends of Grand Rapids Parks plants trees in publicly-owned and managed land in Grand Rapids. While this occasionally includes public parks, more often than not, we plant trees in the parkway—the grass strip between the sidewalk and the road.
We, and the City of Grand Rapids, care deeply about making sure every tree that’s planted is in the right spot, won’t disrupt any power lines or utilities, and has what it needs for generations to come. Long-term tree health and positive experiences with trees rely on picking the right spot so we don’t run into problems later! Here are a few factors that go into identifying suitable tree-planting locations (and how we pick which trees go where, too!).
4 Factors that Influence Where We Select Sites to Plant Trees
1. Areas with Low Tree Canopy
One of the major projects our foresters work on during winter months is finding areas of the city with low or aging tree canopy and searching for good sites to plant trees. We walk through neighborhoods where we are likely to find low canopy cover, and in each open area, we stop to assess it.
2. Enough Soil
The first thing we look for in a spot is good soil volume. Trees may grow close together in forests, but in cities where concrete is everywhere, we need to give the trees more room. In general, large-size-class trees are planted 40’ from each other, medium-size-class trees are 30’ away, and small trees are 25’ from each other.
3. Space and Visibility
We also look for a minimum of 4’ wide parkways to limit damage to sidewalks. From there, we need to make sure we’re maintaining good visibility from driveways and intersections, as well as safe clearance from fire hydrants. In some cases, the presence of these obstacles means we won’t be able to plant a tree at all, and we move on to the next site.
4. Avoiding Power Lines and Underground Utilities
Next, we look up. Power lines are 45’ from the ground, with communication lines much lower. If we see power lines overhead, we can only plant a small tree there, as those won’t grow more than 25-30’ tall. A few larger trees may be considered in rare cases due to their very open branch pattern, making pruning easier and more natural-looking. However, we always prefer a small tree.
Then we look for obvious signs of underground utilities, such as water mains and gas meters. These aren’t always visible to us at this stage, so we make sure to contact MissDIG before planting starts. If they flag a spot where we plan on planting a tree, we move the tree to another location.
Once We Have a Good Spot, We Pick Tree Species
Once we have an idea of the size and placement of a tree, we start to consider the species we’d like to plant. This isn’t always decided in the field, but a forester may suggest a species in their notes for later.
Busy roads are often heavily salted in the winter; some species will be more tolerant of salty runoff. Similarly, some species of trees planted on the property may react poorly to other species we may plant. For instance, if we find that arborvitae has been planted in the front yard, we won’t plant a serviceberry in the parkway since the two species are co-hosts to an unappealing fungus.
Our foresters also consider high-traffic footpaths to the front door of a home, or even the view from a front window, and will move a tree’s placement to not block desirable routes and views. Additionally, we may plant a tree on the southwest side of the home to maximize cooling benefits in the summer. Whenever possible, we like to consider the home’s aesthetics. Perhaps we have a flowering tree that matches the front door, or we have a tree that will promote pollinators in their garden. We want the tree to benefit the resident for its whole life, and we also want the resident to love their tree. Finally, we consider if nearby trees are likely to die out within the next 10 years or so as a new tree grows. We want to plan for succession so that the benefits of the old tree will be eventually replaced by the new one when its life cycle comes to an end.
Residents Deserve to Have Positive Experiences with their Street Trees
Once sites and species are selected, we get to work letting the community know about the proposed planting locations and allowing them to decline or request a tree. In some cases, we can accommodate specific requests for species. However, if a request includes a tree that’s not on the City’s approved species list, or wouldn’t thrive in that particular location, we always do our best to explain why.
We want residents to have positive experiences with the trees near their homes. When residents want a tree, we do our best to make sure it’s one they’ll enjoy for years to come. And when we identify a location as being a good spot for a tree, if a resident doesn’t want one, we always honor their request to not receive a tree.
If you’d like to plant trees with us, we encourage you to find an upcoming tree-planting date! Or, support our work and help us make Grand Rapids a green, nature-connected city filled with beautifully-placed trees.
