Many tourists and locals visit the streets of downtown Madison every year, and in 2019 the City realized some changes were needed, primarily due to failing sidewalks and some significant issues with maintenance and tripping hazards. City officials were also aware that the existing trees lining the street had struggled considerably, and the Forestry Department was removing and replanting roughly six trees per year.

The proposed design for the 100 and 200 blocks of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. included new amenity upgrades and improved growing environments for the new trees.

After reviewing multiple tree planting options, City planners selected the GreenBlue Urban ArborSystem® to provide the necessary soil volume and meet their streetscape design requirements. The ArborSystem is a complete urban tree planting system, which provides the components that trees require to thrive in the harshest of urban environments.

All repairs and installations were completed in spring/summer of 2020. According to James Wolfe, P.E., with the City of Madison Engineering Division, “the Forestry Department is very happy with the final result.” The trees are all thriving and look beautiful in their summer glory as you can see from the final photos.