If you’re like me, your list of unresolved resolutions of New Years past is longer than your arm. Most of them have to do with getting organized, getting in shape, saving for the future, or some variation of these themes.

When it comes to the garden, the resolutions are usually easier to make and keep. Most of us garden for fun anyway, so making a list of resolutions or goals for the coming year is a pleasant way to spend New Year’s Day while the football fans in the house watch the Rose Bowl. I’d like to offer a suggestion for your list of resolutions. It will affect not just your life, but that of your community and its citizens of the future.

When I’m traveling, I try to be aware of my impressions as I pass through each town and village. Without exception, it is those communities whose streets and lawns are blessed with mature stately trees that leave me with an image of permanence, beauty, and pride.

Some communities protect this image by way of ordinances and codes, ensuring a program of planting new trees and caring for mature ones. New business construction must include approved landscaping for parking lots and loading areas. Tree maintenance companies must be licensed and approved so that topping and disfiguring trees is prevented.

In communities where there are no programs to care for the urban forest, there is still plenty the individual citizen can do. So I propose this resolution: resolve to plant and care for at least one tree each year for the rest of your life. Make a project out of it for your family. Learn which trees do best in city conditions. Learn the mature height and width of the tree so that it can fully develop without interfering with power lines and houses. You may want to plant the tree on a special occasion, such as an anniversary, family reunion, or the birth of a child. We have a beautiful honey locust tree we planted when our youngest daughter was born. Now it stands thirty feet tall and shades the bay window from the summer sun. We still refer to it as the Rebecca tree.

If your own lawn cannot accommodate another tree, look for spots in the neighborhood. Contact the park department of your city and offer to plant and care for a tree for the community.

Note that my proposed resolution also calls for taking care of the tree after it is planted. During the first growing season especially, it is critical that newly planted trees receive adequate moisture and are properly mulched. A young tree planted and ignored quickly becomes kindling, and all the effort of selecting and planting is for naught.

Businesses can do their part for the community’s urban forest, too. When planning parking lots, they can incorporate the use of trees and shrubs to soften the harsh bleak asphalt plain. This extra effort tells visitors that a business cares about its community and its image.