INSIDE OUTSIDE
Part 2: Approved Trees, Philadelphia
2026 (IN PROGRESS)
The phrase ‘wrong trees’ has been rattling around in my mind since I heard him say this. ‘Him’ in this case being a city trees manager at a non-profit gardening organization in Philly that I worked for briefly that, perhaps not coincidentally, considered more than one thing ass backwards when it came to thinking about nature and the environment.
I had accepted this when I heard it initially; I was speaking with someone whose knowledge and expertise I trusted, and it made sense that the ‘wrong trees’ in a city as dense and old as Philadelphia would grow large enough for branches to tangle in overhead powerlines, roots to break sidewalks and disrupt underground piping. But then I went to Savannah, Georgia for the first time in 2026. After taking in the live oaks and observing the reverent care for these spectacular specimens by the city of Savannah, it dawned on me that Philadelphia wasn’t planting the wrong trees, but is maybe thinking about trees wrong altogether.
I am happy that Philadelphia plants trees at all. At the risk of sounding ungrateful though, I do think Philly’s relationship with city greening could use some work. The tree that was planted for free by the Philadelphia Water Department in front of my rowhouse in Port Richmond remains the only tree on my block.
Trees are more than ornament. Where is Philadelphia’s love for trees?