1. “Plant the Right Tree in the Right Place”
The Florida Native Plant Society
Jimmy Socash, ASLA, JFS Design Inc.
Pembroke Pines, Fl.
2. Right Tree-Right Place…
History...
Long Standing Statement-
18th Century!
Post WWII Urbanization
Importance to plant trees
in the urban landscape
3. Right Tree-Right Place…
Today...
The National Arbor Day
Foundation
Tree City USA Bulletin
Utility Companies
Temperate to Tropical
4. ENVIRONMENTAL LANDSCAPE DESIGN:
•Use plant material that is native and self sustaining.
• Increase the life expectancy of plant material with “Right
Place” right installation and right maintenance methods.
• Reduce unneeded maintenance:
trimming, shaping, fertilization, pest control.
• Reduce water consumption.
• Incorporate BIODIVERSITY through introduction of new
or little-used native species.
5. Agencies and Organizations
Implementing and using
Right Tree-Right Place
principles
National Arbor Day
Foundation
Municipalities and
governing agencies
Utility Companies
6. IFAS “Florida Friendly Yards” Program
9 Principles:
1. Right Tree; Right Place
2. Water Efficiently
3. Fertilize Appropriately
4. Mulch
5. Attract Wildlife
6. Manage Yard Pest Responsibly
7. Recycle
8. Reduce Stormwater Runoff
9. Protect the Waterfront
7. “Naturescape” - Broward County
Incorporation of Florida-Friendly landscapes to conserve
water, protect water quality, and create wildlife habitat.
Important part of Broward County’s Integrated
Water Resource Plan (IWRP)
8. Use of Native Trees...
LIVE OAK GUMBO LIMBO
Quercus virginiana Bursera simaruba
9. Use of Native Trees...
JAMAICA CAPER SIMPSON’S STOPPER
Capparis cynophallophora Myricianthes fragrans
13. Focus
50% of the Earth’s population will be urban
Urban Heat Islands
Right Tree-Right Place
Tropical Urban Environments
Step to carbon sequestration
14. Principles of …
Right Tree-Right Place
1. Environmental
Factors
2. Right Tree Factors
3. Right Place Factors
Bill O’Leary
15. 1. Environmental Factors
Temperature- minimum and maximum year round climatic
Precipitation and Moisture- climatic
Altitude- (especially pertinent in tropical areas)
Soil Conditions
Pests and susceptibility to local diseases
Air Pollution (urban areas)
16. 2. Right Tree Factors...
Ultimate mature size
Canopy and root zone
requirements
Pruning maintenance
program
Debris-seed, fruit, leaf
drop
WILD TAMARIND
Lysiloma spp.
17. 2. Right Tree Factors...
Deciduous or evergreen
(tropical trees also)
Growth habit, form, crown
and shape
Shade and Cooling-
temperature moderation
factors
Esthetics- flowering trees,
esthetic shade value,
vista and view value
GUMBO LIMBO
Bursera simaruba
18. 3. Right Place Factors...
Highways and byways-
sight triangles,
streetscapes, medians
Buildings- proximity to,
framing and screening
Overhead and
underground utilities-
electrical, water, sewer,
tv, telephone
Along walkways,
courtyards and small
SILVER BUTTONWOOD urban parks
Conocarpus erectus var. “Sericeus”
19. 3. Right Place Factors...
Limited root zone area
Encroachments on to
adjacent properties
Parking lots and
parking islands
SABAL PALM
Sabal palmetto
20. Consequences of Planting the WRONG
TREE in the WRONG PLACE
Inappropriate use of NATIVE Tree Species
MAHOGANY
Swietenia mahagoni
21. Wrong Tree Consequences…
Wrong tree, Wrong Place
damage to infrastructure, roadways,
buildings, utilities
Shortened life span of plant material
Trees, Palms, etc.
Excessive Maintenance
trimming, mowing, shaping, excessive irrigation, fertilization, weed and
pest control, use of petro-chemical derivatives gas-powered machines,
causing increased global warming
24. Trees Susceptible to Toppling
Obstruction of Waterways and Canals
Invasive Exotics Are Susceptible to Toppling Inhibiting
Drainage and Causing Upland Flooding
Design: Evaluate Situations, Remove Exotics, Use of
Native Habitat Restoration.
25. Species Susceptible to
Breakage…
Same Consideration as Toppling Evaluate and Design Accordingly
29. The sorry status of our urban
tree canopy…
33% - Nation-wide Average
10% - Miami-Dade County Average
3% - Hialeah (American Forests Survey, 1996)
30% TREE CANOPY GOAL for MIAMI-DADE STREET
TREE MASTER PLAN
By 2020…11 years ! ! !
33. CPTED
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
34. Project Implementation…
Quality grown plant material-Grades and Standards
Contract growing
Competent landscape inspections
Rejection of unacceptable plant material
Maintenance-initial and long term, and its
importance.
35. Benefits
Benefits of greening of urban sub-tropical areas:
Economical
Environmental
Social
Esthetics
Focus on attainable short-term goals and projects.
Maintain perspective of long-term goals.
39. “Meeting the Goals
of the Miami-Dade County
Street Tree Master Plan”
•Planning
•Planting
•Pruning
•Education and Growth
•Best Management Practices (BMP)
ROOT ZONE GROWING AREA
“Design the soil space under and adjacent to the hardscape
to sustain root growth – good trees well connected to the
ground only develop if the roots have room to grow”
“Miami-Dade County Street Tree Master Plan”
Page 7- March 2007
40. “The major impediment to establishing trees in paved urban areas
is the lack of an adequate volume of soil for tree root growth.”
Urban Horticulture Institute
December 2000
41. Trees Growing in Confined Soil
Spaces
are Prone to Toppling…
…Rate of growth is greatly
reduced…and… will be short-
lived.
“Better to plant a 50 cent tree in a
5 dollar hole than a 5 dollar tree in
a 50 cent hole”
42. Make Bigger Planting Spaces.
Mi
n
Ma
ax
x
M
Mi
n?
JAMES URBAN, FASLA, ISA
Balance the size of paved and soil areas.
43. How Much Soil ?
Larger Trees
1200 CF
Soil Volume =
20’ x 20’ x 3’ depth
20” Trunk
Diameter e
e siz
tre me
of u
o vol
ti l
Ra soi
to More Soil
JAMES URBAN, FASLA, ISA
20” Trunk Diameter Tree will require
20’ x 20’ x 3’ deep soil volume (min.).
44. Make Space for Roots.
JAMES URBAN, FASLA, ISA
Design spaces for roots under the pavement and
utilize different approaches to root space design
as conditions change
45. Roots grow well beyond
canopy edge
Dr. Ed Gilman, U of Florida
Trees that normally grow a very expansive root
system can become stressed and grow poorly in
urban landscapes where soil space is limited
The result can be poor tree health, damaged
sidewalks and curbs, and other problems
46. “Downtown Kendall Urban Center District”
“Street Trees: …minimum caliper of six (6) inches and a minimum
clear trunk of eight (8) feet at the time of planting.”
TYPICAL MINIMUM SIZE OF 18’ OVERALL HEIGHT
SITE PLAN PROVIDES STREET TREES BUT…
IN 3’ X 3’ SQUARES…(27 C.F. OF SOIL VOLUME )!
WILL THESE TREES GROW?
HOW LONG WILL THEY LAST?
WHERE IS THE 1200 C.F. OF SOIL VOLUME?
47. “CU-STRUCTURAL SOILS” AND
PERMEABLE PAVEMENTS
Cornell University
1. INCREASE ROOT ZONE AREA…
Use “CU Structural Soils” or
“Deeproot Silva Cell” Applications
2. USE PERMEABLE PAVEMENTS…
48. “CU-STRUCTURAL SOILS”...
Cornell University
Comprised of two main components:
1. Rigid Stone “lattice”
Lattice are load-bearing stones for stability and
interconnected voids that allows root penetration, air and
water movement.
2. Quantity soil (heavy clay loam or loam)
Clay holds most of the water and nutrients.
With…
Gelscape Hydrogel combines with the mix and works as a
non-toxic, non-phytotoxic tackifier.
50. “CU-Structural Soils” and Permeable
Pavements...
Street trees
CU-Structural Soil helps
create large enough
volumes of soils under
constructed pavements.
CU-Structural Soil should
have a depth of at least 24”,
but it is preferred to have
36”.
Parking Lots and Plazas
Trees planted in Landscape
Islands will
benefit from CU-Structural
Soils and Permeable
Pavements.
55. “Deeproot Silva Cells”...
1. Increased Soil volumes enable large trees
to flourish…
3. Healthy trees…increase real estate
values…
5. Underground bioretention areas manage
stormwater on-site…
7. Large tree canopies reduce urban heat-
island effect and improve air quality…
9. Expanded soil-volumes reduce rainfall
runoff…
58. Permeable Pavements…
When integrated with “CU-
Structural Soils” or “Deeproot
Silva Cells” …
“Vegetation is watered,
reducing the need for irrigation …
Ground water is recharged
Water resources are preserved
Stormwater runoff is reduced
Stormwater runoff quality is
improved.”
www.CoolCommunities.org
59. Permeable Pavements…
U.S. GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL (USGBC)
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) CERTIFIABLE
“Pervious pavements can be made of concrete, asphalt, open-celled stones, and gravel, that
are mixed in a manner that creates an open cell structure allowing water and air to pass
through. For example, porous concrete can pass 3-5 gallons of water per minute, which is far
greater than most conceivable rain events and highly effective in controlling storm water
drainage. “
www.CoolCommunities.org
60. Respect the Base of the Tree.
Trunk Flare
Zone of rapid
taper
JAMES URBAN, FASLA, ISA
Do not pave in the area of the tree’s future trunk flare.
62. Tree Grates…
Tree grates. Many cities install decorative metal grates around
newly planted trees. As the trunk grows, it may end up fighting the
encircling obstacle. Though some tree grates are designed so that the
innermost section can be removed as the trunk expands, rarely do
municipalities remove them promptly enough. The grate girdles the
trunk, stopping the flow of water and chemicals between the top and
bottom of the tree. If the tree doesn’t die first, it may lift the grate
and create a hazard for pedestrians.
“New Urban News”
February 2005
63. Landscape code changes are
oftentimes tedious and lengthy…
Departmental Policy Decisions can
bypass this…
64. INCORPORATE USE OF CULTIVARS
Use of tree species developed for
urban environments.
Marshall Tree Farm
Quercus virginiana
Quercus virginiana
Marshall Tree Farm
‘Cathedral’
Quercus virginiana
‘Highrise’
65. BIODIVERSITY IN THE URBAN
LANDSCAPE
Use and introduction of several native species and use
of new unused native species.
A necessity to address tendency to “monoculture” use
of only a few tree species.
69. ELECTRICAL AND SITE LIGHTING
Lightpoles
Landscape Islands
are for trees
Coordination with
Electrical Engineer-
15’ Clearance for all
trees
Overhead Power Lines
Screening of Ground-
Mounted Equipment
71. USE OF APPROPRIATE NATIVE
PLANTS…
FICUS HEDGE / Ficus benjamina COCOPLUM HEDGE / Chrysobalanus icaco
Non-native exotic Native
Will mature as a 50’ x 50’ tree 15’ at maturity
Grows quickly Moderate growth rate
Will require frequent topping Very little trimming required
2-3 times per year Less need for irrigation,
Photo shows result if topping fertilization, pest control, etc.
is not continually done. Less maintenance intensive
Other native species available
72. LONG TERM GOALS...
Increase Environmental Awareness
Right Tree-Right Place -Concept and Implementation
Enforcement and installation of Florida No. 1 Plant Material
at time of installation
Proper pruning and continual maintenance commitment
Environment – Economics – Esthetics
Preservation and Protection of the Natural Environment
(air, water, soil, etc.) for future generations.
Restoration of Recoverable Natural systems
Economic Opportunities and Benefits
Improve the Esthetics and Beautification for the Urban
Landscape