By Mark Kinver
German researchers have compiled a 400-species database to encourage people to plant the "right tree in the right place" in urban areas.
The team of scientists hope the information will help shift the focus away from the way trees look towards on the focus on biodiversity.
Over the next decade, the urban environment is expected to increase by nearly 30%.
Details have been published in the Landscape and Urban Planning journal.
"We wanted to place the focus on city and urban locations when choosing trees, but not on the aesthetic aspects," said co-author Juliane Vogt from the Institute of Forest Growth and Forest Computer Science at Techische Universitat Dresden, Germany.
She told BBC News that the goal of the database was to "find the right tree for the right place".
