HCF's Street Tree Project
100 Trees for 100 Years
In 2024, Homeland celebrated its 100th anniversary—and with it, a renewed commitment to preserving the neighborhood’s historic beauty. A recent street tree audit by the Homeland Community Foundation revealed that our canopy is thinning, with more than 650 trees missing from the original Olmsted Brothers’ landscaping plan. These trees are more than just part of our heritage—they provide vital shade, reduce flooding, cool our streets, and offer shelter for wildlife.
To honor our centennial, we’re launching 100 Trees for 100 Years, an initiative to replant and restore our canopy—starting with 40 new trees this fall. If you’d like to be part of our Phase 1 planting initiative, you can sign up to have a new street tree planted at your home—at no cost to you. In return, we simply ask for your commitment to help your tree during its early years: regular watering, a little protection, and the care it needs to grow strong for generations to come.
Street Tree Species
Our street tree initiative to reestablish a shade canopy over the Homeland neighborhood will draw from the following collection of native tree species. They are well-suited as large urban street trees and offer aesthetic interest via the canopy structure, leaf color, and bark texture. In addition, they are tolerant of air pollution, contribute to urban heat reduction, help prevent runoff, and provide shelter from the sun.
Autumn Blaze Red Maple
Acer rubrum 'Freelandii'
This deciduous street tree has brilliant fall foliage and grows quickly (3-4 feet per year). The large canopy provides ample shade and offers a perfect balance of urban tolerance, structural strength, and aesthetic appeal.
American Sycamore
Platanus occidentalis
This is a majestic, fast-growing native shade tree that brings beauty, resilience, and ecological benefits to urban environments. Its striking, peeling bark, cooling canopy, and adaptability make it a timeless and practical choice for wide streets and public green spaces.
American Elm
Ulmus americana ‘Princeton’
The vase-shaped canopy provides high overhead clearance for pedestrians and vehicles, while creating a shaded, tunnel-like effect over streets and walkways. It combines the historic elegance of the native elm with modern disease resistance and urban adaptability.
Swamp White Oak
Quercus bicolor
Typically grows 50 to 70 feet tall, occasionally reaching over 80 feet, with a broad, rounded crown that provides excellent shade. Contributes significantly to carbon sequestration, stormwater management, and air quality improvement. The bark is distinctive—dark gray and deeply ridged on mature trunks, the leaves offer contrasting colors, and the shape of the canopy is symmetrical and balanced.
American Sweetgum
Liquidambar styraciflua 'Rotundiloba'
This tree has striking star-shaped leaves and vibrant fall color and is a classic and long-lived shade tree frequently used in parks, campuses, and along city streets. Sweetgums are excellent at filtering airborne pollutants and sequestering carbon. Sweetgum can often have seed pods that can be a nuisance, but this variety in particular produces little to no seed pods.
Willow Oak
Quercus phellos
These trees combine durability, beauty, and environmental value. They grow tall with a very full shade canopy of finely textured and graceful leaves. They have an elegant and uniform appearance, ideal for lining neighborhood streets. They produce small acorns, providing food for wildlife and enhancing urban biodiversity.
🌳 Help Restore Homeland’s Canopy
Homeland has lost more than 650 street trees over the years—leaving gaps in our canopy and our community’s beauty. The Homeland Community Foundation is working to replant, restore, and renew, but we can’t do it alone.
Be part of Homeland’s next 100 years.