The Street Tree Committee is an ad-hoc committee established by Mayor Lisa Mead in November, 2001, charged with, “…advocating for the health, beauty and general enhancement for the City’s street trees, including such activities as: maintaining and expanding an inventory of street trees; helping to identify trees in need of care or maintenance, as well as hazard trees; coordinating events, designations, and grant requests (e.g., Arbor Day, Tree City U.S.A., Urban Forest grants); conducting planning and planting for new trees; conducting fund-raising campaigns for specific projects; cooperating with other City personnel, committees, and commissions, and working with all public and private organizations that impact the City’s street trees; plus other related tasks.” (Source: Memorandum to City Council from Mayor Mead, 11/01/01).
Eight citizens are selected to serve on the committee. The committee is charged with providing regular notes to the Planning Office and quarterly updates to the Mayor and the City Council’s Planning and Development Committee.
Recommendations:
| Approved Street Trees (Tall) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Latin Name | Common Name | Mature Size |
| Acer miyabei | Miyabei Maple | 50' T X 25' W |
| Acer rubrum | Red Maple | 40-70'T X 35-40'W |
| Acer x fremanii | Red Maple hybrids | 50'T X 35'W |
| Carpinus betulus | European Hornbeam | 40-60' T |
| Celtis 'Magnifica' | Magnifica Hackberry | 50'T X 40'W |
| Cercidiphyllum japonicum | Katsuratree | 40-60'T X 20-30'W |
| Corylus colurna | Turkish Filbert | 40-50' T x 20-25' W |
| Ginkgo biloba | Ginkgo, Maidenhair Tree (male only) | 40-80'T X 30-40' W |
| Gleditisia tricanthos var. inermis | Thornless Honeylocust | 50-60' T |
| Liquidambur styraciflua | Sweetgum | 60-75' T X 40-50'W |
| Liriodendron tulipifera | Tulip Tree | 60'T X 30'W |
| Nyssa sylvatica | Black Tupelo | 30-50' T X 20-30' W |
| Platanus x acerfolia | London Plane Tree | 70-100' T X 65-80' W |
| Prunus maackii | Amur Chokecherry | 35-45' T |
| Quercus bicolor | Swamp White Oak | 50-60' T X 50-60' W |
| Quercus frainetto | Forest Green Oak | 50' T X 30' W |
| Quercus palustris | Pin Oak | 60-70' T X 25-40' W |
| Quercus rubra | Red Oak | 60-75' T & W |
| Sophora japonica | Japanese Pagodatree, Scholar-tree | 50-75' T |
| Tilia cordata | Littleleaf Linden | 40-45' T X 15-30' W |
| Tilia tomentosa | Silver Linden | 50-70' T X 30-50' W |
| Ulmus americana 'Valley Forge' | Valley Forge Elm | 70'T X 60'W |
| Ulmus japonica x U. wilsonia 'Morton' | Accolade Elm | 70'T X 60'W |
| Ulmus pumila x U. japonica | Cathedral Elm | 50-80' T X 50-70' W |
| Ulmus parvifolia | Chinese Elm, Lacebark Elm | 50' T X 50' W |
| Zelkova serrata | Village Green Zelkova | 40'T X 40' W |
| Approved Street Trees (Short) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Latin Name | Common Name | Mature Size |
| Acer buergeranum | Trident Maple | 20-30' T & W |
| Acer campestre | Hedge Maple | 25-35' T & W |
| Acer ginnala | Amur Maple | 20' T X 20' W |
| Acer pensylvanicum | Striped Maple | 15-20' T & W |
| Acer tataricum | Tataricum Maple | 15-20 T & W |
| Amelanchia | Serviceberry | 20-35'T X 15-20'W |
| Carpinus caroliniana | American Hornbeam | 25' T X 25' W |
| Cercis canadensis | Eastern Redbud | 20-30' T X 25-35' W |
| Cornus mas | Corneliancherry Dogwood | 20' T X 20' W |
| Crataegus phaenopyrum | Washington Hawthorn | 25-30' T X 20-25' W |
| Crataegus viridis 'Winter King' | Winter King Green Hawthorn | 20-35' T & W |
| Crataegus x mordenensis | Toba' or 'Snowbird' Hawthorn | 20' T X 20' W |
| Halesia tetraptera | Carolina Silverbell | 20-30'T X 15-20'W |
| Maackia amurensis | Amur Maackia | 20-30' T & W |
| Malus species | Crabapples | 15-25' T |
| Ostrya virginiana | American Hophornbeam; Ironwood | 25-40'T X 15-20' W |
| Parrotia persica | Persian Ironwood | 30' T X 20' W |
| Prunus 'Newport' | Newport Cherry Plum | 20'T X 20'W |
| Prunus sargentii | Sargent Cherry | 24-40'' T X 20-30' W |
| Syringa chinensis | Chinese Lilac | 8-12' T & W |
| Syringa pekinensis | Peking Lilac | 20'T X 15-20'W |
| Syringa reticulata | Japanese Tree Lilac | 20-25' T X 15-20' W |
| Tilia cordata 'Halka' | Summer Sprite Linden | 16'T X 10'W |
| Zelkova serrata 'City Sprite' | City Sprite Zelkova | 24'T X 18'W |
| Zelkova serrata 'Schmidtlow' | Wireless Zelkova | 24'T X 36'W |
Prohibited Trees |
||
|---|---|---|
| Latin Name | Common Name | Mature Size |
| Acer platanoides | Norway Maple | Invasive in MA |
| Acer pseudoplatanus | Sycamore Maple | Invasive in MA |
| Ailanthus altissima | Tree of Heaven | Invasive in MA |
| Alnus glutinosa | Common Alder | Invasive in CT |
| Euonymus alatus | Burning Bush; Winged Euonymus | Invasive in MA |
| Paulownia tomentosa | Princess Tree | Invasive in CT |
| Phellodendron amurense | Amur Corktree | Invasive in MA |
| Robina psuedocacia | Black Locust, Common Locust | Invasive in MA |
| Sorbus alnifolia | Korean Mountainash | Pest & disease problems |
Not Recommended |
||
|---|---|---|
| Latin Name | Common Name | Reason |
| Catalpa speciosa | Northern Catalpa | Invasive in CT; messy; weak |
| Fraxinus species | Ash | Over used; disease & pest problems |
| Populus species | Poplar | Suckers; can be invasive; short lived |
| Pyrus calleryana | Chanticleer Callery Pear | Over used; weak branching |
| Ulmus pumila | Siberian Elm | Disease & pest problems; messy |
Reference Sites:
- Recommended Urban Trees: Site Assessment and Tree Selection for Stress Tolerance
- Selecting Trees for Your Home
- Woody Plant Identification
- Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List