The Right Tree in the Right Place

By Rob Corletta

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is today.”  We love our trees in the Cape.  We need to plant more trees to replace those continually lost and removed, to save the Bay and to improve our mental and physical wellbeing.  Our beautiful tree canopy is one of the reasons Cape St. Caire it is such a livable community!  When preparing to plant a new tree please consider the crucial practice of the Right Tree in the Right Place.

Following the Right Tree in the Right Place when considering what to plant in your landscape ensures that the tree selected is suitable for your specific site conditions and any site limitations you might have.  You don’t want your new tree to become a nuisance in the future because of poor selection or lack of site planning.  There is nothing worse than finding your tree is in the wrong spot after it has reached maturity.  Careful tree selection and consideration of the planting location will help you enjoy the tree’s benefits to their fullest.   When trying to determine the best selection for your yard, nothing beats seeing trees growing in the landscape.  Our fantastic local arboreta are the places to experience a variety of trees that are appropriate for our growing conditions.  The National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., Adkins Arboretum (a Chesapeake Native Garden) in Ridgely, MD and the Helen Avalynne Tawes Garden in Annapolis (MD DNR headquarters across from Navy Stadium) are great places to start.  Below is a list of resources to help select the Right Tree for your property and what to consider in determining the Right Place for your new specimen:

Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards: Resilient Tree Species List

http://aawsa.org/resilient-species

Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Recommended Tree List

https://dnr.maryland.gov/forests/pages/marylandersplanttrees/recommended-tree-list.aspx

The Arbor Day Foundation: Tree Guide

https://shop.arborday.org/treeguide

The Arbor Day Foundation also has a great list of considerations when practicing Right Tree Right Place:

https://www.arborday.org/trees/righttreeandplace/

There are multiple local and state initiatives to help with tree planting.  These programs may offer free trees and technical assistance to participants:

AACo Watershed Stewards – REPLANT Initiatives

                http://aawsa.org/replant-2

5 Millian Trees for Maryland Initiative

https://five-million-tree-tracking-tool-maryland.hub.arcgis.com/pages/get-involved

So, consider planting trees in the Cape this Fall.  As always, if you have any questions, contact us: trees@capeconservationcorps.org