Change In Street-Tree Composition Of Two Urbana, Illinois Neighborhoods After Fifty Years: 1932-1982

Article Figures & Data

Table 1.

Trees along 8.25 linear miles of streets in two Urbana, Illinois neighorhoods in 1932.

Tree species	Total basal area (ft²)	Total number	Range in dbh (in)
Ulmus americana (American elm) and Ulmus rubra (Red elm)	659.54	864	1-50
Populus deltoides (Cottonwood)	188.83	97	2-37
Acer saccharinum (Silver maple)	141.46	71	2-32
Acer saccharinum (Sugar maple)	104.12	96	1-23
Acer negundo (Box elder)	77.14	77	1-23
Acer nigrum (Black maple)	65.67	58	6-46
Celtis occidentalis (Common hackberry)	58.34	40	1-30
Fraxinus pennsylvanica (Green ash)	40.22	51	2-22
Juglans nigra (Black walnut)	33.68	24	2-45
Platanus occidentalis (Sycamore	20.81	17	4-35
Catalpa speciosa (Western catalpa)	17.22	22	3-33
Malus spp. (Apple)	12.88	20	2-22
Prunus serotina (Black cherry)	11.21	18	2-22
Ailanthus altissima (Tree of heaven)	9.64	88	1-15
Subtotal	1440.76^{^*}	1527
Others (41 taxons)	100.85	241	1-27
Total	1541.61	1768

↵* For dominant tree species that accounted for 93% of the total basal area of street trees in 1932, there were 185 trees per linear mile of street, 15 per block (both sides), with an average cross-sectional area at breast height of 0.94 square foot per tree.

Table 2.

Trees along 8.25 linear miles of streets in two Urbana, Illinois neighborhoods in 1982.

Tree species	Total basal area (ft²)	Total number	Range in dbh (in)
Acer saccharinum (Silver maple)	347.16	163	1-46
Acer saccharum (Sugar maple)	193.47	109	3-35
Platanus occidentalis (Sycamore)	149.27	57	3-35
Celtis occidentalis (Common hackberry)	121.79	63	5-42
Ulmus pumila (Siberian elm)	116.70	37	14-33
Fraxinus americana (White ash)	48.63	29	2-29
Liriodendron tulipifera (Tulip tree)	43.88	39	4-23
Gleditsia triacanthos (Honey locust)	40.33	111	4-23
Acer rubrum (Red maple)	36.12	44	2-38
Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweetgum)	28.71	32	4-19
Acer platanoides (Norway maple)	27.59	33	1-21
Quercus palustris (Pin oak)	20.90	14	10-25
Quercus rubra (Red oak)	18.40	32	2-37
Catalpa speciosa (Western catalpa)	14.66	4	9-38
Fraxinus pennsylvanica (Green ash)	12.64	3	15-28
Subtotal	1220.25^{^*}	738
Others (65 taxons)	141.49	297	1-34
Total	1361.74	1035

↵* For dominant tree species that accounted for 90% of the total basal area of street trees in 1 982, there were 89 trees per linear mile of street, 7 per block (both sides) with an average cross-sectional area at breast height of 1.65 square feet per tree.

Table 3.

Trees surviving 50 years after 1932 in two Urbana, Illinois neighborhoods.

Tree species	Number of surviving trees	Total basal area in 1932 (ft²)	Total basal area in 1982 (ft²)
Acer saccharinum (Silver maple)	24	13.20	158.27
Acer saccharum (Sugar maple)	24	30.17	101.51
Platanus occidentalis (Sycamore)	9	10.61	43.44
Celtis occidentalis (Common hackberry)	8	10.53	42.13
Acer rubrum (Red maple)	3	0.06	42.13
Catalpa speciosa (Western catalpa)	2	1.77	13.20
Fraxinus pennsylvanica (Green ash)	2	1.76	11.38
Ailanthus altissima (Tree of heaven)	1	0.23	7.30
Ulmus pumila (Siberian elm)	1	0.68	6.13
Ulmus americana (American elm)	1	0.11	4.41
Quercus rubra (Red oak)	1	<0.01	7.71
Morus alba (Mulberry)	1	<0.01	9.01