WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM A TREE?
Color in the fall, flowers, fruit, shade, screen, barrier, a particular shape?
WHERE TO PLANT?
Three shade trees strategically planted around your building can decrease energy costs significantly. Look around - you don’t want the tree to obscure signs and street lights. Always look up to check for utility wires and be sure to stay out of their way!
CHOOSE A TREE THAT IS THE RIGHT SIZE AND SHAPE AT MATURITY.
The tree you plant will probably outlive you. With that in mind, pick the planting location and mark property boundaries. Stay 6 feet away from sidewalks, walls, neighbors, and underground cables. Stay 10 feet under overhead utility cables and power lines.
CONSIDER THE ELEMENTS.
Don't fight Mother Nature. Consider sun exposure, prevailing winds, water availability and cost, soil drainage, common pests.
RECOGNIZE THE SIZE OF YOUR INVESTMENT.
Mature trees will increase property values 10% to 20%. That's up to $20,000 on a $100,000 property! Trees will also help sell the property faster. Trees yield two to three times return on investment in purchasing and maintaining them. In the course of its lifetime, a tree is valued at about $50,000 in environmental and economic benefits. So when you select your tree, treat it like a $50,000, fifty year investment!