How to Appreciate the Trees in a City. (video)

Precious trees and how to work with them.

Trees are precious; they hold a deep meaning to humans and represent the fullness of personality. They have often appeared symbolically in our dreams. Additionally, there is indication that trees, along with houses and other people, constitute one of the three most basic parts of the human environment.  The mere fact that trees are considered as full of meaning as houses and people gives them a great power.

However, most of the trees that are being planted and transplanted in cities and suburbs nowadays do not satisfy people's needs for trees. They are being removed and built around without consideration for the way they grow or spaces that they create.

Trees are bountiful resources that should be respected, kept intact and allowed to grow and mature. It is important to understand the process of planting, caring for, and using trees in a way that's best for the environment. When trees are planted and pruned without consideration of how they will grow, they're as good as dead for the people that need them.

Trees loved by people.

Trees are being cut down more these days, and when planted, they are often placed in containers or parking lot islands. They are used to form landscaped areas which can be seen but can’t be reached. When used in this manner they lose their meaning to people. They are rarely planted to make places for people to appreciate and enjoy.

On the other hand, when people take care of and love trees, they create a special connection to the world around them.

Trees can be places for people to sit under and think, but also somewhere for children to play and animals to hide.

How do trees create social places?

An oak tree provides a source of shade and can created an outdoor room.

A pair of trees can make a gateway.

Trees can enclose an open space providing a boundary.

A double row of trees can line a path or create and avenue, especially when their crowns come together and touch.  

It is only when we think about the potential of trees forming places that the real presence in their meaning becomes clear.

Urban trees and forests.

Urban forests can be found in cities and towns, and each will have it’s own unique charms, but these trees and forests need care and attention. In a forest trees will grow in places that are favorable to their needs for sunlight and water and appropriate for their tolerances to density and wind.  Natural selection is active in the development of forested areas.  In a city, however, a tree only grows where it is planted, and it will not survive unless it is most carefully cared for tended, pruned, and watched. Urban trees have a different kind of ecology and should be recognized and treated accordingly.

The fact is that trees will only get proper care when the places where they grow are liked, frequented and used by people. If they are randomly planted in a park or garden, they are likely too far removed from people to get noticed.  This means that these trees will likely go without the care they need.

Trees and people working together.

The symbiosis and interaction between people and trees is complex in nature. People need trees for the reasons given above. When trees are planted by people they will need need proper care and attention. Trees won’t get the care they need unless they are in places people like and enjoy. For this reason, it is best that planted trees form social spaces. Once the trees form a social space, they are able to grow more naturally.

Trees in cities can only grow well in a manner that is true to their unique nature.  They are at their best when they cooperate with the people by helping form spaces which the people need and and can make use of.  Therefore, when are planting trees, plant them according to their nature and use them to form enclosures, avenues, squares, groves.  Single spreading shade trees can be placed toward the middle of open spaces.

Best use of planted trees.

Make the trees form rooms and spaces, avenues, and squares, and grounds by placing trellises between the trees and walks and seats under the trees themselves.  Be sure to shape any nearby buildings in response to the trees, so that the buildings and the trees can work together to create outdoor places which people can enjoy and use.

There is much more to be said on this topic, but we want to make clear the difference between trees in nature versus planted tress.  This article is a brief, and it asks people to consider the best placement and care of trees prior to planting them.  Knowing how to take full advantage of the nature of trees can make for spectacular and wonderful places and foster a deeper appreciation of the world around us.

This article is inspired by the book A Pattern Language, which can be found here: