Morris Arboretum experts mobilize to preserve canopy during Parkway renovations; Philadelphia, PA

Penn Current: Features: Preserving the urban canopy:
A team based out of the Morris Arboretum is helping to protect and enhance the overhead greenery as street-level renovations move forward, including the improvement of traffic lanes, an upgrade in sidewalks and curbing, and the installation of new benches, bicycle lanes and pedestrian crossings.
“We’ve been involved ever since there was the idea in Philadelphia to restore the Parkway,” says Jason Lubar, associate director of urban forestry at the Arboretum. “Early on in the Parkway renovation, it was realized that trees play an important role as part of the design element. As the Parkway has aged, so have the trees that were originally planted there.”
The Urban Forestry Consultants team has inventoried most of the trees along the Parkway, and will provide expert opinion on how to minimize the impact of construction on the avenue’s elder hardwoods and softwoods.