Imagine TERIAL
HEALTHY CITY-WIDE
FOREST CANOPY
As the city looks to retrofit parts of the
urban core and develop new areas,
planning to provide for a healthy tree
canopy will improve the quality of life
for the residents using and living in
these spaces over time.
Urban Core +
Development Areas:
Tree Planting in urban and developing
environments gets more challenging
as space gets more constricted. A
healthy urban canopy can contribute
to many of the City of Nashua’s goals,
including the creation of inviting
pedestrian space for residents,
stormwater pollutant filtration, and
the reduction of island effect to name
a few. Some key considerations for a
healthy urban canopy include:
New Trees:
Continuous Tree Wells: Consider
planting trees in continuously
connected tree wells either with
structural soil or tree grates to
safeguard the soil from compaction.
Tree Protection Measures
Tree Maintenance
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The expanded soil volumes from
extended wells will help encourage
healthy root growth and will contribute
to higher rates of urban tree resiliency.
Permeable Pavement at Tree Wells:
As described in the GSI section,
permeable pavement can help address
stormwater challenges, but when used
in conjunction with tree plantings in
streetscapes, permeable pavement
also helps expand the amount of
rainfall available to tree roots and
expands the resiliency of urban trees.
Silva Cells or Structural Soils:
Compaction of Soil is one of the
biggest challenges for urban
trees. Consider advocation for
structural soils or silva cells as new
developments and tree wells are
planned.
Right Tree, Right Place: Consider
consulting an arborist or landscape
arborist to choose the correct
species of urban tree for the
challenges of each specific location
with consideration for availability
of sunshine, water, salt exposure,
overhead wires and/or soil volumes
and drought tolerance.
New Tree Support: Newly planted
trees require special care and
attention, and it is recommended
to use a combination of contractor
planting and watering guarantees (two
year minimum) as well as harnessing
the resources of the community
by encouraging neighbors to help
monitor, water, and support the newly
planted trees.
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Tree Protection Measures: As
development occurs, special attention
will need to pe paid to the protection
of the City’s existing trees which are
cherished assets for the community.
Proper tree protections include
maintaining proper tree protection
fencing during construction, as well as
monitoring by arborists or landscape
specialists for the duration of the
construction period.
City Tree Survey : Consider conducting
a regular city-owned tree survey. Tree
health monitoring will help the city
respond to tree health challenges and
patterns over time.
Tree Maintenance: Regular pruning
and early action tree training programs
are very successful in expanding tree
life cycles and minimizing the effects
of storm damage as the tree matures.
Continuous Tree Wells
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URBAN CORE +
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