The goal of the Forestry Division is to manage the urban landscape in a manner that increases the value of real property and improves the quality of life in the City of Milwaukee. To accomplish this, the division uses a variety of tools and techniques to provide healthy, valuable trees and landscape plants throughout the city. PHC is a strategy that utilizes all available management techniques collectively to maintain plant health. These tools and techniques may include proper plant selection, tolerance of low pest levels, use of resistant plant varieties, improvement of the environment, alteration of maintenance procedures, and the use of mechanical or chemical controls. The key to promoting healthy landscape plants is matching the proper plant to the site.
All plants have specific soil, water, nutrient, and light requirements for optimum growth.
When plants have all of their growth requirements met, they are better able to defend themselves from stresses caused by disease and insect attacks. The plants we use in the urban landscape originated somewhere in nature where they were adapted to various environmental conditions. In the urban environment, we need to recreate conditions similar to where our landscape plants grow naturally. Aerate the soil periodically to reduce compaction and increase water absorption. Landscape fertilization should be based on soil tests.