Aesthetics | “Aesthetically pleasing features, either seasonally or year-round” | 20 |
Diversity | “Diversity to protect from disease and to show the public what varieties look like” | 15 |
Right tree, right place | “Understanding the growth requirements of the tree and tailoring the specific species to successfully fit the site conditions without the need for future maintenance or removal” | 15 |
Maintenance | “Have the ability to endure poor maintenance” | 14 |
Hardiness | “Trees I plant must be hardy, tough.” | 11 |
Mature size | “Height and width for each individual site” | 11 |
Form and habit | “Habit and form” | 9 |
Water requirements | “Drought tolerant” | 7 |
Infrastructure conflict | “Making sure we avoid Utility conflicts, Right-of-Way obstructions, and building conflicts” | 6 |
Soil type | “First the tree must be one that will grow in our alkaline soil.” | 6 |
Ecosystem services | “Capable of providing numerous ecological services” | 5 |
Function | “Function based on location (park, street) and purpose” | 5 |
Longevity | “I plant trees for my grandkids. I am looking for long lived trees.” | 5 |
Root space (soil volume) | “The trees are usually planted in a tree pit in the sidewalk and have limited soil volume available.” | 5 |
Education | “I want a diverse selection of trees, so that the community can see there is more than Tree of Heaven, Silver Maples, and Siberian Elms.” | 4 |
Native | “Native, we would like to stick with native drought tolerant trees.” | 4 |
Utilities | “Utility conflicts” | 3 |
Budget | “Budget sources” | 2 |
Maximizing size | “Largest tree that can fit within the site constraints” | 2 |
Personnel change | “So many times there is personnel turnover and often trees are planted without a thought to what they will be like at maturity.” | 2 |
Pest and disease resistance | “Disease and insect resilient” | 2 |
Wildlife habitat | “Habitat for wildlife” | 2 |
Adaptable to climate change | “Adaptable to climate change” | 1 |
Citizen preference | “Desires of the applicant (whether it’s a public or private proposal)” | 1 |
Hours of sun | “Light” | 1 |
Quality of nursery stock | “When I select a tree from a nursery the first thing I check is how the tree resembles the characteristics for the species I am selecting.” | 1 |