Counting the true cost of street trees - Toronto, Canada

A tree grows in Toronto, but not long - thestar.com:
They beautify our city streets, give us shade in a concrete jungle, and have become almost an expected part of the city’s urban landscape.

But our desire to have sidewalks lined with a canopy of lush tall trees — at any cost — almost verges on cruelty. In part, because every time a tree is planted along a Toronto street, it fights to survive.

“You plant trees and people expect them to thrive. They don’t thrive, because they have lost 80-95 percent of their roots,” said Richard Ubbens, director of urban forestry for the city of Toronto. “These trees are in major, major shock.”