Downtown Tree Trail
Downtown trees support local ecology, local economy, and social well-being.
Trees provide real health and safety benefits to Columbians and our visitors every day.
Downtown Street Trees are trees planted along streets throughout the downtown area and are maintained by City staff.
These trees grow in small sidewalk planters, may have to withstand temperatures of 120°F or more in summer, and are occasionally broken by passersby.
As a result, downtown street trees are less likely to grow into large, healthy trees compared to trees planted in a park or yard.
Downtown Tree Trail
We have appraised and analyzed several trees throughout downtown to show the monetary and environmental values of each tree.
Every stop contains information about the tree, including its appraised value, benefits to the environment and people in 2023, and the benefits of this same tree in 10 years (2033).
Tree Appraisals
A tree appraisal estimates the cost of replacing a tree of the same species and size based on the condition and environment of the existing tree.
A formula is used to account for the tree's condition, growth pattern, physical site conditions, impact on nearby infrastructure, limitations, site maintenance, and four years of tree care.
The City Arborist and Parks and Recreation staff appraised several trees to show the monetary value of downtown trees to the City. The natural benefits of trees were calculated using iTree Software and were collected in the Downtown Street Tree Inventory.
American Elm 'Princeton' (Ulmus americana)
600 E. Broadway
If you see a tree with a name in 'quotes' like this American 'Princeton' Elm, it is a cultivar or a genetically-modified species.
We do our best to plant native Missouri trees rather than non-native or cultivated species. However, street trees in downtown Columbia live in incredibly harsh conditions, and a cultivar may be better adapted for these human-made environments.
Thornless Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis)
709 Cherry St
Thornless honey locust trees are a fast-growing native variety of the thorny honey locust trees we see in old fields around Columbia.
Honey locust trees tolerate most urban conditions, including salt, pollution, and poor soils. Honey locusts are an excellent spring food source for pollinators, and later in the year, they produce pods that feed squirrels, birds, and other urban wildlife.
American 'Princeton' Elm (Ulmus americana 'Princeton')
23 S 8th St
This 8-inch diameter tree provides shade to diners and passersby, protecting people from the summer heat. It also intercepted 725 gallons of stormwater runoff from 2022 to 2023.
Trees intercept rainfall when raindrops hit the leaves of the tree and then slowly drip to the ground. Slowing the rate of rainfall lessens the impact on soil and stormwater infrastructure.
Kentucky Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus)
123 S 8th St
The Kentucky Coffeetree is a drought-resistant, pollution-tolerant, adaptable tree that blooms in May/June. It is called the "coffeetree" due to the large bean pods it produces and because early settlers used the beans as a coffee substitute.
Trees can improve air quality in many ways, including altering pollution concentrations by reducing air temperature, shading buildings from the sun or wind, thus reducing energy consumption and emissions, and directly removing pollutants from the air.
A single tree can remove several pounds of ozone and other air pollutants yearly. The combined impacts of an urban forest can lead to a net reduction in air pollutants resulting in a cleaner Columbia.
It is also true that trees emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Oak trees emit more VOCs than other trees; this can be a problem when several high-emitting trees are planted in the same area. The City does not plant several individuals of the same species in a single area. We do this to avoid high VOC levels and the possibility of a significant loss in canopy due to disease or pests.
Kentucky Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus)
19 S 9th St
This tree is taller than nearby buildings shading them from the summer sun and reducing the energy required to cool these buildings.
It is also a well-known tree to sit under while enjoying an ice cream cone.
Pin Oak (Quercus palustris)
224 S 9th St
Pin oak trees tolerate summer heat and offer dense shade. This tree and its smaller neighbor shade several feet of sidewalk in the core of downtown Columbia where urban temperatures are the hottest during summer.
Using a heat-sensing camera, we found that when the heat index is 90°F, concrete in direct sunlight can reach 135°F. That same sidewalk under the shade was recorded as 97°F. Trees make a big impact when temperatures are extreme.
Use the arrow on the right side of this image to see the temperature difference.
Climate change is making it hotter in the Midwest; our tree canopy needs to grow to keep up with the changes we are experiencing now and in the future.
Red Oak (Quercus rubra)
7 S 10th St
This red oak had a 10-inch diameter, and the crown spanned 35 feet, shading the sidewalk and part of the street.
In 2022 it was cut down to make room for a new development. Columbia's current tree preservation ordinance does not protect individual street trees because they typically do not grow as large as what the ordinance considers a "significant" size tree to be.
Though downtown street trees are smaller than trees in parks and the suburbs, they provide considerable value to our community because they are located in an area nearly devoid of other vegetation.
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
23 N 9th St
Ginkgo trees are a long-lived species that transplant easily and grow well in urban environments. Though native to China, ginkgo trees have existed in the United States since the late 1700s.
Leaf fossils tell us that ginkgo trees existed 270 million years ago and survived the Permian-Triassic extinction event when 90 to 95% of marine species and 70% of land organisms became extinct.
Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
32 N 9th St
Native to the Missouri bootheel, this species is naturally found in swamps. To survive in a swamp these trees produce root "knees" that stick out of the water and act like snorkels to carry air down to the tree's waterlogged roots.
These "knees" can be problematic in an urban environment. However, they are only produced in wet conditions. Bald cypress adapts well to wet and dry conditions, withstands flooding, and grows in well-drained and clay soils.
Japanese Zelkova (Zelkova serrata)
N 7th St & E Ash St
This tree may be one of the original downtown street tree plantings in Columbia. Planted in the early to mid 1990’s, this tree has maxed out its rooting space and has been in a slow decline for the last 5 years.
For a tree to live 30 years with limited water, soil, and nutrients, and to withstand extreme urban heat, is pretty remarkable.
The City is in the process of designing a larger planting bed which will allow for more soil volume, but also capture, detain, and filter stormwater runoff from the street.
The tree which replaces this zelkova will have far more potential for growth and for a longer, healthier life as a result of being in a far better environment.
Growing Really Big Trees
In 2016, Columbia’s Stormwater Utility, Columbia Parks and Recreation, and the Downtown CID teamed up to undertake the Really Big Tree Project. The goal of this project was to create a multifunctional planting bed on the corner of 10th and Broadway, which would filter and control stormwater runoff and create a high soil volume planting bed that could support the growth of a large tree.
Through the use of an underground framework of Silva Cells filled with soil, the tree growing in this landscape bed has access to 900 cubic feet of soil.
A typical downtown street tree only has access to 36 to 96 cubic feet of soil, depending on the site. This increased access to nutrients and rooting space is crucial to the long-term development of a large, healthy tree.
The planting bed also manages and controls stormwater through a system of pervious pavement and drain tiles which collect and capture runoff from the street.
Stormwater can carry high levels of pollutants as well as road salts, and because of this, Thornless Honeylocust was chosen to be planted in this bed because of their known tolerance to these harsh conditions.
Maintaining a healthy urban tree canopy is one of the easiest and best ways to offset the effects of climate change in our community.
Learn more about the City's plans to fight climate change, grow trees, and protect public lands.
This project is a collaboration between multiple City Departments including: Parks and Recreation, Sustainability, Public Works, Community Development, Geographic Information Systems, Finance, and Utilities.
