Shade Tree Canopy Problems

Disease

• Even established trees can become subject to disease, resulting in the loss of limbs and damage to the overall canopy. Frequent causes are choosing a tree poorly suited to its location, over-pruning or neglect of damaged limbs, and over- or underwatering of soil around the tree. Contagious diseases like arathanose fungi attack weak trees first but can spread to strong ones. Consult with your county extension agent with any questions you may have about tree selection and maintenance.

Age

• Homeowners and communities experience tree canopy damage when established trees are allowed to reach old age without the planting of new replacement trees. Tree maintenance money is vulnerable to cutting when municipal budgets are tight, as are funds to remove invasive plant varieties that may threaten trees.

Development

• Municipal budgetary considerations, poor code enforcement, and individual financial pressures can lead to the removal of trees during the process of residential or commercial development. While some trees may be kept when new houses, offices or stores are built, a larger number may be lost, affecting the overall canopy.

Public/Private Conflicts

• A frequent and classic conflict involves the growth of trees close to public utility wires. While residents do not want power jeopardized by falling trees or tree limbs, neither do most of them want trees pruned beyond their ability to survive. In one case, residents of Indiana, state government and local utilities have spent years working out regulations that enable utility companies to sustain power delivery while maintaining the integrity of established trees.

Neighborhood Conflicts

• Most community residents encounter tree-canopy issues when branches of their tree or that of the next-door neighbor cross the upper reaches of the property line, grazing roof shingles, rubbing against shutters and shading garden areas. Communities vary widely in the help and regulation they provide for settling tree disputes between neighbors. Some have strict ordinances and procedures to follow; others leave the conflict entirely in the hands of interested parties with only general legal guidance.

Restoration

• In the interest of clean air and the impacts of global warming, many communities have embarked on tree-planting programs to improve, restore or expand the city tree canopy. In cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, state and local governments, and communities like Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York are ambitiously increasing the number of street, yard and public-space trees to create a larger community tree canopy.