An Assault On Urban Trees

"James Urban, a landscape architect in Annapolis, Maryland, says the decline of city trees is 'a national issue,' due mainly to the degradation of soils and a street tree monoculture that can be devastating when trees are hit by a certain pest or disease. Washington, D.C., once celebrated as the 'city of trees,' is just one example. According to a survey by American Forests, the city lost 64 percent of its heavy tree cover from 1973 to 1997, due to neglect, disease, and construction."