In the Mall area a number of trees are mature, while others are newly planted. Overtime, as Mall trees reach the end of their life, they should be replaced with tall, deciduous shade trees that will recapture the stature of this important feature. As each Mall tree declines it should be removed and not replaced. When less than half of the trees remain, they should be replaced all at once, with the remaining trees removed or transplanted to make way for the entire group. The selection of trees for the Mall plantings requires some discussion and the integration of historic, aesthetic, ecological and maintenance considerations. Historically the mall was planted entirely to American elm. The use of one variety of tree reinforces the formality of the feature. However, current ecological thinldng addresses the desire for species diversity, using several types of trees. In a recent project for the Ben Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia the original trees were Red oak, the selection for replanting included a mixture of Red oak, Sweet gum and Red maple, all trees with an upright form, straight trunks, medium texture and city pollution tolerance. The planting of separate types of trees in blocks or intermixed is advisable to avoid the spreading of disease. The use of disease resistant elms of trees is one possibility. Red oak is a very durable, tolerant tree with an excellent, arching mature form. Other trees that have demonstrated park planting value and were historically included in Washington Park are Silver maple, Sugar Maple, Hickory, Horse chestnut, Tulip tree and Linden. Maintenance considerations might include ease of establishing the tree, the type of flower, fruit and leaf litter. Aesthetic considerations include form, growth pattern and speed, seasonal appearance and interest. A selection of not more than three trees from the list of eight noted above should be made to replace the current Mall plantings.

Since this is a formal landscape feature ideally the trees would be planted altogether, on their historic spacing and alignment so that they grow and achieve maturity together. The logistics and cost of planting the entire Mall at one time make this ideal unachieveable. The planting of each section of the Mall over a period of ten to fifteen years could be accomplished, with segments planted during this time frame as funds and maintenance capabilities allow. If all the trees are planted within this time period their growth will advance relative to each other and over the years they will begin to match in size and stature.

A large number of same aged trees of good form and similar size will be required. As the time approaches a growing contract should be developed with a regional nursery. For this and other vegetation renewal purposes a tree trust fund should be initiated, ideally as a joint effort of the City of Albany and the private sector.

Wherever possible the locations shown on the Egerton plan are replicated in this proposal. Overall the planting of fourteen informal trees in the locations shown on the Egerton plan is proposed. The selection of these trees should be made considering the genus and species of historic trees nearby and consulting the 1890 plant list. The historic trees remaining in the park today indicate a diverse planting scheme with some groupings of tree types and other individual specimens. This general intent should be followed. Occasionally existing historic trees are positioned in conflict with lost individual trees shown on the Egerton plan. Where this occurs, the existing tree is retained. The tree shown on the historic plan is either assumed to be this tree and not proposed as an addition or is proposed in a slightly different location.