Explore Tree Species

Whether selecting a species for your own tree planting project or getting to know the trees in your neighborhood, Canopy offers online resources and recommendations:

Canopy Resources:

Canopy Tree Library & Selection Tool – Developed with funding and collaboration from the City of Palo Alto, Canopy’s catalog lists over 600 tree species with notes specific to our local region. Filter by criteria like locally native, low-watering needs, or recommended by City of Palo Alto arborists. Visit the Tree Library →

Other Tree Selection Resources:

• SelectTree: A Tree Selection Guide. SelecTree is an interactive program designed to help select the right tree for the right place. It is maintained by the Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
• Calscape. Created by California Native Plant Society, Calscape provides detailed descriptions of nearly 8,000 California native plants in all categories, including trees, along with their native range and guidance on where to purchase them.
• California Invasive Plant Council (Cal IPC) – if you’re looking for a list of what not to plant, Cal IPC provides information and an A-Z list of California invasives to avoid.
• Water Use Classification of Landscape Species (WUCOLS) – Created and maintained by UC Davis and expert horticulturists, the WUCOLS database provides guidance in the selection and care of over 3,500 taxa of California landscape plants relative to their water needs.

Tree ID Resources:

• Arbor Day Foundation: What Tree Is that? An illustrated step-by-step key to identify trees throughout the continental United States.
• A Californian’s Guide to the Trees Among Us (book). Written by acclaimed tree and urban forest expert, Matt Ritter, this book features over 150 of California’s most commonly grown urban trees. It’s a handy and approachable guide for any neighborhood tree enthusiast.
• Urban Tree Key. Also from the Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute, this is an online dichotomous key designed to help identify trees found in the urban forest.

Have a question about a specific tree? Ask us on the Tree Hotline.