• Tree and shrub selection and use
• CU-Structural Soil™
• Transplanting (bare root method)
• Community forestry
• Other Cornell resources

Trees in the Urban Landscape: Site Assessment, Design, and Installation

Tree and shrub selection and use

Woody plants database - Profiles more than 370 trees, shrubs, vines and groundcovers. Search feature helps match plants to site characteristics (light, USDA Hardiness Zone, salt tolerance, soil pH and moisture) and plant characteristics (deciduous vs. evergreen and plant size), as well as botanical and common name search.

Recommended Urban Trees: Site Assessment and Tree Selection for Stress Tolerance - 128-page publication profiles more than 90 trees that can stand up to the rigors of tough urban environments, including small trees that can grow under overhead utility wires. Also includes a site assessment checklist, transplanting guide and helpful lists of trees grouped by site or planting conditions. Hard copy also available. $20. Order form

Tree ID Guide for Common Urban Trees in New York State and the Northeast - 76-page, fully illustrated guide helps people with little or no experience to identify common urban trees throughout the year. Trees are organized by common name and a simple visual glossary is included to point out important features. No online version. $15. Order form

Deciduous Woody Groundcovers [2.7 MB .pdf] - 15-page booklet describes how low-growing shrubs and woody plants can provide attractive, protective cover for gardens, slopes and many difficult sites.

Visual Similarity and Biological Diversity: Street Tree Selection and Design [560 K .pdf] - 13-page publication helps with choice of species for street tree plantings to balance need for genetic diversity and need for uniformity in design.

A Cornell Campus Walk: Recommended Urban Trees [2.5 MB .pdf] - The natural beauty of the Cornell campus is rightly celebrated. Stately trees strategically planted around the buildings and along the streets and plazas contribute to that reputation. This 31-page booklet is your guide to an all-season campus tree walk designed to help you to learn about trees that can withstand tough urban situations.

Tough Trees for Tough Sites - New: View online. 23-minute video aids in tree selection and site selection in the urban landscape. Follows a real-life tree planting project in the city of Ithaca, N.Y. Also available on DVD ($29.95 order form), which includes .pdf file of Recommended Urban Trees.

Read UHI journal articles on:

• Site analysis and environmental stress
• Plant selection

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CU-Structural Soil™

CU-Structural Soil™ (also known as CU-Soil™) was developed at Cornell University as a way to safely bear pavement loads after compaction and yet still allow root penetration and vigorous tree growth. It was patented and trademarked under the name 'CU-Soil™' to insure quality control.

Using CU-Structural Soil™ in the Urban Environment [15 MB .pdf] - 17-page booklet details how CU-Structural Soil™ meets soil needs of urban trees while also fulfilling engineers' load-bearing requirements. En français.

CU-Structural Soil: An Update after More than a Decade of Use in the Urban Environment - Article by Nina Bassuk in the Jan./Feb. 2008 issue of City Trees: The Journal of the Society of Municipal Arborists.

Using Porous Asphalt and CU-Structural Soil™ [1.4 MB .pdf] - 15-page booklet details how the combination of porous asphalt and CU-Structural Soil™ reduces runoff and improves water quality. The combination allows both water and air to infiltrate the base course underneath the pavement surface. This not only allows for healthier root and tree growth, but the trees further reduce water levels through transpiration.

Managing Stormwater for Urban Sustainability Using Trees and Structural Soils [3.9 MB .pdf] - 55-page publication addresses how trees grown in structural aid in water interception, storage, and infiltration while increasing evapotransporation potential, helping to achieve the goals of stormwater management: reducing peak flow, reducing runoff volume and removing pollutants.

CU-Structural Soil™ - DVD demonstrates new soil mix that safely bears traffic loads after compaction and still allows root penetration and vigorous tree growth. Includes 3 videos:

•Support Your Local Tree (13:30) describes background, mixing and placement of CU-Structural Soil™ New: View online .
•Excavation of London Plane Tree Roots Growing for 5 years in CU-Structural Soil™ (short video).
•Total Tree Excavation of London Plane Tree Grown in CU-Structural Soil™ after 7 Years (short video). Now available online.

DVD ($29.95. order form) also includes a .pdf file of the 15-page booklet on Using CU-Structural Soil™ in the Urban Environment.

CU-Structural Soil™ Graphics and Plan Views

CU-Structural Soil™ Power Point Presentation

AMEREQ Inc./CU-Soil™ Division - Site includes an introduction to the CU-Soil™ and a list of installations.

Read UHI journal articles on:

• Soil compaction and structural soil
• Soil volume

To locate licensed CU-Soil™ producers near you or to become a licensee, contact Brian Kalter (bkalter@amereq.com) or Fernando Erazo (FE@amereq.com) at AMEREQ Inc./CU-Soil™ Division, 19 Squadron Blvd. New City, New York 10956. Phone: (800) 832-8788.

If you have questions about the function and uses of CU-Soil™, contact Nina Bassuk: (607) 255-4586 nlb2@cornell.edu.

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Transplanting (bare root method)

Creating the Urban Forest: The Bare Root Method [1 MB .pdf] - 18-page booklet explains the bare root method of planting trees developed at Cornell in cooperation with the City of Ithaca. The three main nursery production methods are balled and burlapped (B&B), root, and container grown. We find that for many species bare root planting is equally as successful as B&B planting. Revised and updated Jan. 2009.

Creating an Urban Forest: The Bare Root Method - New: View online. 15-minute video demonstrates new, cost-effective method for reforestation of our urban spaces. Lightweight, bare root trees planted by volunteers eliminates the need for heavy equipment and intensive labor commitments for city forestry departments. Also available on DVD ($29.95 order form), which includes .pdf file of Creating the Urban Forest - The Bare Root Method.

Read UHI journal articles on:

• Transplanting

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Community forestry

Community forestry - Clearinghouse for information to help communities manage their urban trees, including developing a community forestry master plan and conducting street tree inventories. Resources pages provide links to how to information on managing urban trees and working with people.

Read UHI journal articles on:

• Urban forestry, sampling

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Other Cornell resources

Cornell Guide for Planting & Maintaining Trees and Shrubs

Pruning: An Illustrated Guide to Pruning Ornamental Trees and Shrubs

Know Your Trees - Update of classic includes identification keys, descriptions of 50 common native trees. Also available in as 7.2 MB .pdf file.

Gardening resources - Cornell site for home gardeners includes information on trees and shrubs, lawns, flowers and more.