Norway Maples Widespread

Norway maples are by far the most common street trees on the South Side.

A newly completed inventory of trees on public rights of way lists 4,256 Norway maples out of the total of 14,961 street trees, or 28 percent.

These trees are big, too. Average diameter of the Norway maple trunks is nearly 17 inches.

Second most numerous among street trees on the South Side are the 1,371 ponderosa pines, about 9 percent of the total.

Those two species rank way ahead of all other species.

In order, there are 728 sycamores, 534 black locusts, 497 red maples, 420 junipers, 397 honey locusts and 391 silver maples.

The top 10 is rounded out with the 342 American lindens and 313 English hawthornes.

South Side trees are fairly healthy, too; 2,829 (19 percent) were rated in excellent condition, another 44 percent were rated good, 32 percent as fair, 2.7 percent as poor and 0.9 percent as very poor.

Also, 211 trees were listed as “dead” - 1.4 percent or the total.

Citywide, the inventory listed the value of some 50,000 street trees at more than $90 million.

A single large maple tree can be worth as much as $4,000. The average tree is worth $1,800.

The inventory showed the city has public space for about 30,000 additional trees.

, DataTimes MEMO: See main story under headline: Our precious trees