STREET TREE INVENTORY OF SELINSGROVE, PENNSYLVANIA

Street trees provide a number of social and environmental benefits to their communities. A street tree inventory was conducted in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania to quantify the number of trees, the species present, tree characteristics, and sidewalk characteristics. The field data collected was combined with historical aerial photographs to evaluate the sustainability of the street tree community over time, as well as determine diversity and ecology statistics of the community by neighborhood. The analysis determined that more than half of the 1974 community existed in 2009, and that five of the eight neighborhoods lost nearly two-thirds of their trees. The street tree community is dominated by only three species and is not appropriately diverse to withstand potential threats from invasive boring insects that threaten the region's trees. Selinsgrove needs to find ways to limit tree losses and diversify the street tree community.