Trees and Greenspace

"A village is not complete, unless it have these trees to mark the season in it. They are important, like the town clock. A village that has them not...has a screw loose, an essential part is wanting." --Henry David Thoreau, 1862.

Welcome to the city of West Lafayette's official tree and greenspace page! Trees make our community more beautiful. But that's just one benefit. They help clean the environment, provide shade and food for wildlife, increase property value and reduce flooding by intercepting rainfall. Plus, trees keep us cool during the summer and warm during the winter. Did you know that the net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to 10 room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day? Learn about the many benefits of trees by clicking here.

Like other living things, trees need care and attention. If you are interested in maintaining healthy trees, check out West Lafayette's Tree Care Manual, a superb information source. In it you'll find helpful tips on the planting and care of trees and shrubs, lists of recommended and undesirable trees in our community, plus a copy of the updated landscape ordinance adopted by the city council in July 2003.

Builders and developers will find our construction guidelines and details on the City Engineer's page. The landscape specifications are on the last pages of 2005 West Lafayette Typical Construction Guidelines and Details.

In addition to the Tree Care Manual, this Web page contains relevant news items and helpful links to other online information sources.

If you have any questions, please contact the city greenspace administrator, Beverly Shaw, at 775-5170.

On-Line Resources