How to Select a Tree (Part 1): Before You Plant, Read This
- nvilu7
- May 5
- 7 min read
Updated: 16 hours ago
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You already know I have a complicated relationship with trees—specifically the undead variety known as Chinese elm. But this post isn’t about them (we’ve suffered enough).
This is about something far more important:
why people plant trees… and how that decision can go spectacularly wrong.
Because if you get it wrong, you’re not just planting a tree—you’re planting a future expense, a maintenance headache, or a full-blown property problem.
My new home’s Chinese elms were not my first experience with a previous homeowner’s questionable tree choices. That dubious honor belongs to the huge maple tree in the front yard of my Pittsburgh house that killed every plant under its considerable canopy.
Nothing would grow under it, not even weeds.
I attempted multiple fixes (none worked), but the only real, true, lasting fix would have been to cut it down.
Which, of course, never occurred to me.
Recently, after yet another episode of dealing with my current home’s Chinese elms, I wondered, “Does the Pittsburgh house still have that effing maple tree in the front?”
I went to Google Earth, typed in the address, and, lo and behold, the maple was gone! In its place, full sun and a lush, green lawn.
I was so jealous—and, given what I know now, I felt a little guilty, too.
Sometimes it isn’t your gardening skills that are the problem.
Sometimes it is absolutely the tree.
Most of the Time, Though, Trees are Not the Problem
Let me state up front that trees are an indispensable environmental mainstay and are critically important to the continuation of the planet and the human race.
Trees are essential to the environment because they improve air and water quality, prevent soil erosion, provide shade and cooling effects, and provide habitat for wildlife.
Trees are essential to humans because they mitigate climate change, regulate air and water temperature, and provide vital habitats to encourage biodiversity.
Trees positively impact human mental health by reducing stress and anxiety, improving mood, and enhancing cognitive function.
I have no problem with trees—well, except Chinese elms, English hawthorns, and horse chestnuts. Let's just not go there.
What I have a problem with are the wrongheaded decisions humans make regarding the kinds of trees they plant and where they plant those trees.
Here’s an example.
The Mighty Redwood that Outgrew Its Space
My tree guy Bob has spent 30 years taking care of trees, planting trees, treating diseased trees, and removing trees. He has seen it all, and he has lots of tree stories.
My favorite is one of his most recent. It concerned a couple that planted a redwood tree in the center of their back yard when they first moved into their house.
Thirty years later, after raising their kids, that couple were now empty nesters in the house where they started out, and their back yard was literally nothing but that tree.
It was 100 feet tall and its trunk at the base was over 10 feet in diameter. Its root system took up their entire back yard and their neighbors’ yards, and was now threatening their house’s foundation and water and gas lines.
Because of the tree’s enormous size, other plants struggled in their back yard. Their roof and gutters were constantly covered with the tree’s needle-like leaves and cones.
It cost over $15,000 to cut the tree down and remove the resulting enormous pile of wood and branches. Bob had to grind the stump in sections because it was so huge.
After all that, the redwood’s remaining roots are still alive, still growing, and capable of growing another redwood close to where the original stood.
Astonished, I asked, “At what point did it occur to these people that the redwood was getting too big for the space it was in?”
“And didn’t they know when they planted it that it was going to get that big?”
Bob said, “They planted it because they thought it was a romantic, ‘Great Northwest’ thing.“
“They realized it was too big years ago, but it took a while for them to do what they needed to do to get it removed.”
I said to Bob, “You’ve probably seen a lot of situations where people have planted the wrong tree in the wrong place.”
He rolled his eyes. “Sure have. I’ve made a living from it for 30 years.”
“Why do people do that?” I asked.
Bob thought a minute.
“People plant trees in the first place because they want shade, or they think having a tree on their lot adds value, or they think that planting any tree is good for the environment.”
“Most people just don’t check on how big their tree will get when it’s mature because when they buy the tree it’s small.”
“So people don’t realize that the tree they’re planting is eventually going to grow and get too big for its space?” I asked.
“Well,” Bob said, “A lot of times people plant the wrong tree in the wrong place and move before it becomes a problem, so the next owner, or maybe the one after that, has to deal with it.”
With this in mind, and because I am dealing with the consequences of that last scenario, here are the things to consider before you plant a tree on your property.
Why People Plant Trees
There’s a pretty long list of good reasons to plant a tree, but each has a caveat.
Ecological
If your primary reason for planting a tree is ecological, you can make more of an ecological impact by donating to an organization that protects existing forests or funds responsible, large-scale reforestation projects.
Benefit Wildlife
Maybe you want to plant a tree to create a habitat for birds and/or other wildlife. If that’s the case, great! But first, make sure your yard can support a mature tree that will actually benefit local wildlife without compromising your property or utility lines.
Erosion Control
Planting a tree to reduce erosion is a great idea, but trees are not your only option. Instead, consider adding shrubs with strong root systems that are not invasive (Google it).
Replacement
If you’re replacing a tree that’s been removed, consider why the original tree was removed before you plant a new tree in its place. The last thing you want to do is recreate the problem.
Increase Property Value
According to the Arbor Day Foundation, if you have trees in your yard, your home’s value increases by up to 15 percent. Remember, though, that the wrong tree in the wrong place can erase that 15 percent advantage when it damages your foundation, sewer or water line, or falls on your house in an ice storm.
Food
Trees provide food for humans and wildlife in the form of berries, fruit, and nuts. Sounds idyllic, right? The reality is that in addition to the usual Fall leaf-raking, fruit and nut trees drop a lot more than leaves, and they attract pests. Plus, if you have fruit trees, birds will eat the fruit and then redecorate everything below it 💩.
Trees Are Good for Mental Health
Absolutely true. But, I can tell you from personal experience, a tree whose roots lifts your garage floor out of the ground, or threatens your foundation is NOT good for your mental health.
Trees are Beautiful
No argument from me there. However….before you plant, are you ready and able to maintain that beautiful tree year after year? Before I had the trees removed in my front yard, I spent three hours a week picking up the tree debris—and I had to clean my gutters monthly.
Think Before You Plant
Yes, trees add incalculable value to our planet, to wildlife, and to humanity. But the cost of a tree goes far beyond buying and planting one.
Trees require significant personal commitment, like getting a dog or cat. When you get a pet, you’re making an implicit promise to take care of that pet for its lifetime. When you plant a tree, you’re making a similar promise to take care of that tree.
You want to make sure that your tree is a good neighbor to the existing plantings in your yard (and potentially your neighbors’ yards). You may have to clean up after your tree at certain times of the year, pay someone to do it, or nag your kids to do it.
If you take care of your tree, it will reward you with beauty, shade, flowers, scent, fruit, nuts…all the reasons why you wanted it in the first place.
Of course, you could live in your house with the wrong tree planted in the wrong space for a long time without any issues. You could ignore and even neglect that tree without consequences for years, even decades.
But, sooner or later, the wrong tree planted in the wrong place is going to become a big, expensive problem. Maybe not for you, but for someone.
The optimal scenario is to plant your tree in a location where, with regular maintenance, it will thrive trouble-free, providing you with a lifetime of satisfaction and even delight.
The irony is that it takes just about as long to select the right tree as it does to select the wrong tree. In Part Two I’ll share some pointers on how to choose the best tree for you.
Tree Planting Essentials
Preparation
Sturdy digging shovel
Organic compost for planting
Mulch for moisture retention
Maintenance Tools
Durable gardening gloves
Planning Tools
Measuring tape for spacing trees
Final Thought
It takes just as long to choose the right tree as it does to choose the wrong one.
The difference?
One gives you decades of enjoyment.
The other gives you a $15,000 problem.
Free Download: How to Select a Tree for Your Yard
Choosing the wrong tree can create decades of frustration, expense, and regret. Download the free guide for practical advice on tree sizing, placement, root behavior, maintenance needs, and how to avoid planting tree disasters that future-you will deeply resent.
Up Next
In Part 2, I’ll walk you through exactly how to choose the right tree for your space—without guesswork.
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