Abington’s private residences grow 78% of our tree canopy, and every year we lose more of that canopy as homeowners cut down trees. Decades of research shows that losing trees negatively impacts our community in a variety of ways ranging from lower property values to increased flooding to the loss of wildlife that rely on those trees.

Residents can help reverse this trend by planting more native trees.

• Trees increase property values, with mature trees adding thousands of dollars of value.
• Strategically placed trees shade a house in the summer and act as a windbreak in the winter, saving hundreds of dollars in energy costs each year.
• Trees cool the surrounding area directly through their shade and indirectly through evaporative cooling.
• Trees capture and hold rainwater, slowing the flow of water when it rains and reducing the risk of flooding.
• Trees sequester carbon as they grow, helping mitigate the impact of global warming.
• Trees improve air quality by absorbing pollutants, improving public health.
• Native trees are adapted to the local growing conditions.
• Native trees, unlike those from other parts of the world, are necessary to the reproduction of butterflies, moths, and other insects, as well as the birds that feed on those insects.

Without native trees, our wildlife cannot survive.

To learn more about the research showing the economic, health, and ecological benefits of planting trees, visit:

• Arbor Day Foundation https://www.arborday.org/trees/benefits.cfm
• Arbor Day Alliance for Community Trees Program http://www.actrees.org/files/Research/benefits_of_trees.pdf
• Audubon Society  https://www.audubon.org/content/why-native-plants-matter

Choose the right tree for the right place, and it can grow and provide benefits to your family and community for decades or even centuries to come.

• The Arbor Day Foundation has information about how to pick the right tree for the right place: https://www.arborday.org/trees/righttreeandplace/
• If you are thinking about planting a tree near power lines, follow PECO’s guide to choose a tree that will stay out of the way of the lines: https://www.peco.com/SafetyCommunity/Safety/Pages/TPPlantingTrees.aspx (some of the plant recommendations on PECO's website are invasive in our area, so please consult other sources for species selection)
• The Maryland Department of Natural Resources maintains a recommended list of native trees with information about each: https://dnr.maryland.gov/forests/pages/marylandersplanttrees/recommended-tree-list.asp

Plant a tree the right way, and it will thrive with little or no maintenance. Plant a tree the wrong way, and it will be on the road to an early death. Thankfully, planting trees the right way is quite simple.

• The Arbor Day Foundation has a straightforward guide: https://www.arborday.org/trees/planting/containerized.cfm
• Additional detailed information is available from the University of Maryland Extension: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/planting-tree-or-shrub
• Key tips to avoid common mistakes:
  1. Deep holes kill trees: find the “root flare”—where the bottom of the trunk flares out and the roots begin—and keep the hole shallow enough that the root flare is slightly above ground level;
  2. Do not add any fertilizer, compost, or any other amendments to the hole; just put the same soil you removed back in around the tree;
  3. Mulch around the tree with compost, shredded leaves, or bark, to a depth of 2-3 inches, but do not pile the mulch up around the tree or let it touch the trunk, which will rot and slowly kill the tree.

Trees need little maintenance after they are established in your yard, but they will need initial care to become established successfully.

• Water trees regularly for the first 1-2 years as they establish healthy root systems. The Arbor Day Foundation has guidance on how to properly water: https://arbordayblog.org/treecare/how-to-properly-water-your-trees/
• Staking is not necessary for container-grown trees of the size that are part of the giveaway.
• If deer are a problem in your neighborhood, you will need to protect your trees from both deer eating their growth and from bucks rubbing the trunks in the fall. 5’ galvanized welded wire, available at home stores, provides the best protection; keep the cage in place until the tree grows taller than the cage. For larger trees or trees that outgrow the cage, their trunks still need to be protected in the fall from buck rub by using mesh netting or other products to protect the area roughly 1.5’ – 3.5’ above ground.
• The University of Maryland Extension has additional useful information on these care topics: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/planting-tree-or-shrub 

Donate to the Shade Tree Commission to fund future tree giveaways and other activities to protect and expand Abington’s tree canopy at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/AbingtonTrees.