Street Trees

Practical Solution

The “How To”

Best practices for street trees for cities can include 1) offering street trees to residents upon request and 2) promoting native tree species, which provide beneficial wildlife habitat.

The City of Collinsville has a tree ordinance that promotes native tree species and prohibits the use of invasive species. The City of Clayton's Trees and Landscaping Regulations require that at least 33% of new trees be native species.  

When it comes to offering street trees to residents upon request, the City of St. Louis has online forms for residents to either report a city tree that is in need of maintenance or request the planting of a new tree. The City of Creve Coeur has a street tree program where the city pays 50% of the cost and the resident pays the other 50%.

Dollars & Cents

Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance (TRIM) grants from the Missouri Department of Conservation are one source of funding for city tree programs.

There are numerous financial benefits of having trees along streets. Those benefits include reducing storm water runoff and erosion, shading pedestrians and buildings to lower energy bills, improving air quality, increasing home values, and even lowering the average driving speed.  

Costs for street trees vary depending a number of variables, including current landscape, type of tree being planted, and how many trees are being planted. The City of Creve Coeur for instance spends about $270 per tree it plants for residents. The cost of those trees is split between the city and resident.