Street Trees are part of the urban forest.

Urban forests are all the trees and other vegetation that grow in places where people live, work and play, from small communities in rural areas such as the towns of Grand Isle, to large cities like Burlington and Rutland. This includes trees on public and private land, along streets, in residential areas, parks, town greens and commercial developments, and in other locations within a community. The urban forest is, in essence, “the forest where we live.” Trees are an important part of every community’s landscape and provide us with many benefits. They shade our streets, cool our homes, provide privacy to our yards, trap air-borne pollutants, and generally make Vermont’s communities more beautiful, pleasant and healthy places to live.

Just as maples dominate our rural forestland, they can also be found in large numbers in the urban forest. Red, silver, and sugar maples all find their home in the urban forest. Unlike rural trees, urban trees require special attention, because they are expected to exist within the urban environment with its infrastructure of streets, sidewalks, curbs, buried utilities, overhead power lines and buildings; the urban environment places tremendous stresses on trees. With proper care, trees become assets, which grow in value over time. Without care, these same trees can decline in value, eventually becoming a liability to the community. Therefore, it is important for communities to plan, manage and protect their urban forest resources to reap their benefits.