Health

Healthy trees contribute to healthy communities. According to the National Arbor Day Foundation, trees can add value to your home, help cool your home and neighborhood, break the cold winds to lower your heating costs, and provide food for wildlife. The Delaware Forest Service (DFS) and its Urban and Community Forestry Program are dedicated to helping people plant the “right tree” in the “right place” and to providing timely and relevant information and technical assistance to keep your trees vigorous and free from insects, pests, and other diseases.

A good place to start is by selecting trees well-suited to the growing climate and will be the appropriate size for the location. Plant taller trees away from overhead utility lines and small trees such as redbud closer to utility lines, as shown in the graphic below. The DFS maintains a list of Recommended Trees” to give you ideas about what you might plant. Click here for a PDF copy)righttreeplace

Our urban and community forests are continuously threatened by a variety of harmful pests. Early detection is key to keeping these pests under control. You can help us keep our forests healthy by reporting any sign of the pests listed below: