City of New Haven Parks - Trees

| Reporting Problem Trees | Tree Replacement and Planting | List of Recommended Trees |

Reporting Problem Trees

The City of New Haven has 32,000 street trees city-wide. The New Haven Department of Parks, Recreation and Trees maintains tree maintenance crews year round. Please read the information below when regarding tree problems and recommended tree types for planting on city streets.

The process for reporting problem or dead trees: Enter the complaint on See, Click, Fix or call the Tree Line: 203-946-8004 The complaint will be inspected by the New Haven City Arborist as resources and time allow. The result of that inspection will be communicated through See, Click, Fix. The recommended action on the complaint will be assigned to tree services for completion as time and resources allow. Priority Factors taken into account during the inspection process are: Site analysis where potential targets are identified such as Pedestrians, Public or private property, vehicles, etc. Tree Defects such as: Hanging branches (Hangers), Dead Branches, Wood Decay, Hollow Cavities, Dead or Loose Bark, Cracks or Splits, Leaning Trees, and Mushrooms or other fruiting bodies growing on the Tree or roots. Species Characteristics such as: Susceptibility to wood decay, Branch failures, Weak wood, insects, Etc. Once this has been determined, recommendations for Removal or trimming will be considered.

Tree Removal is a 3-step process: 1) Removal of the Tree 2) Removal of wood and debris 3) Removal of Tree stump.

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Street Tree Replacement and Planting

Homeowners interested in obtaining replacement or new street trees for the tree belt in front of their homes should contact the Urban Resources Initiative (URI). This Yale University-based program handles this effort under contract for the New Haven Department of Parks, Recreation and Trees and builds stewardship for New Haven's urban forest. Call URI for information on how to get a new tree for the front of your house or any neighboring tree belt. The trees are planted for free as long as the requester commits to watering the tree after it is planted.

To request a street tree for planting by URI:
1. Go to the Tree Online Form: City's Tree Request Form
2. Or, if phone is easier, contact:
     Margaret Carmalt or Anna Pickett
     Urban Resources Initiative phone: 203-432-6189
     Email: uri@yale.edu
     Website: www.yale.edu/uri

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List of Recommended Trees

The City of New Haven Department of Parks, Recreation and Trees recommends the following list of trees for planting on City streets.

Common Name	Latin Name	Characteristics
Hardy Rubber Tree	Eucommia ulmoides	Handsome disease-free tree
Hophornbeam	Oystra virginiana	Not good with some urban stress, good succession tree
Hornbeam, European	Carpinus betulus	Muscle-like bark
Maple, Trident	Acer buergeranum	Medium-sized maple
Pagoda Tree	Styphnolobium japonica	Smaller tree with green stems, summer flowers
Zelkova	Zelkova serrata	Elm like leaves, short upright form, can be used under high power lines
Black Gum	Nyssa sylvatica	Great fall color needs moist, well-drained soil
Coffee Tree	Gymnocladus dioicus	Seed pods messy but can be useful (coffee)
Elm, American	Ulmus americana	Select disease resistant cultivars or hybrids
Elm, Lacebark	Ulmus parvifolia	Handsome and shorter in stature than American Elm, disease resistant
Ginkgo	Ginkgo biloba	Open canopy; interesting leaf; select male species only
Goldenrain Tree	Koelreuteria paniculata	Summer flowers, interesting seed pods, can be used under high power lines
Green Ash	Fraxinus pennsylvanica	Green Ash is messier but more tolerant of urban stress
Hackberry	Celtis laevigata	Great for habitat and interesting bark. Lleaf disease can be unattractive
Honeylocust	Gleditsia triacanthos	Small leaves, withstands heavy pruning (can be used under high power lines)
Horse Chestnut	Aesculus hippocastanum	Large flowering tree, leaf disease common. Baumannii variety is seedless and good for streets
Katsura Tree	Cercidiphyllum japonicum	Prefers moist soils
Linden	Tilia	Flowers good for the production of honey
Linden, American	Tilia americana	Flowers good for the production of honey
Magnolia	Magnolia species	Great flowers
Maple, Red	Acer rubrum	Great fall color; upright forms available
Maple, Sugar	Acer saccharum	Good for habitat. Sensitive to salt
Oak, Scarlet	Quercus coccinea	More sensitive to urban conditions than pin and red oaks, but still a good candidate for street trees
Oak, Pin	Quercus palustris	Widely planted and one of the most common oaks
Oak, Red	Quercus rubra	Tolerant of pollution and is a great street tree
Oak, Shumard	Quercus shumardii	Leaf shape similar to pin and scarlet oak
Oak, English	Quercus robur	English oak has a fastigiate varaiety.
Oak, White	Quercus alba	Acorns are valuable food for wildlife.
Oak, Swamp White	Quercus bicolor	Naturally occurs in moist bottomlands. More tolerant of urban conditions than white oak
Oak, Shingle	Quercus imbricaria	Old leaves persist through winter.
Oak, Bur	Quercus macrocarpa	Bark is deeply ridged-and-furrowed. Acorn cap is fringed. Tolerant of urban conditions
Oak, Willow	Quercus phellos	Fine texture and makes a good street tree.
Oak, Chestnut	Quercus prinus	Acorns are valuable food for wildlife.
Sourwood	Oxydendron arboreum	Summer flowers
Stewartia, Japanese	Stewartia pseudocamellia	Flaky colorful bark with showy flowers
Sweetgum	Liquidambar styraciflua	Nice foliage; interesting fruit
Tulip Tree	Liriodendron tulipifera	Pretty tulip-shaped flowers and leaves
Yellowwood	Cladrastis kentukea	Good flowers, weak wood
Turkish Filbert	Corylus colurna	Excellent street tree with dark green foliage
Amur maackia	Maackia amurensis	Fixes nitrogen, interesting bark
Cherry Species	Prunus	Prefers full sun. Species often available at nurseries are: Spire cherry, Sargent cherry, Kwanzan cherry, Yoshino cherry, Okame cherry, Bird cherry, Autumn cherry
Crabapple Species	Malus species	Profuse flowers, some have ornamental fruit
Dogwood, Kousa	Cornus kousa	Other types of dogwood are not recommended
Hawthorn	Crataegus	Fruit can be attractive, thorns on some trees (cruzgalli, phaenopyrum)
Hornbeam, American	Carpinus caroliniana	Muscle-like bark
Lilac Tree	Syringa reticulata	Only white flowers available
Maple, Hedge	Acer campestre	Small maple
Plum, Purpleleaf	Prunus cerasifera	Thunderleaf Red foliage, scale major problem
Redbud, Eastern	Cercis canadensis	Not drought tolerant
Serviceberry	Amelanchier	Good understory tree (laevis, canadensis)

For a complete list download the latest PDF: NewHavenStreetTreeChart_2012.pdf

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