The Giving Trees

Urban forests are dying. Baltimore shows us how to bring them back.

Trees line the streets in Baltimore’s Bolton Hill neighborhood. Photo credit: Andrew Zaleski

Walk through Baltimore’s neighborhoods, and look up. The fan-shaped ginkgo leaves and ­ruby-red pearls dangling from cherry branches are the literal fruits of how Gene DeSantis has spent the predominant part of his life. On Saturdays, the slight, cap-wearing 57-year-old plants trees. By his count, 15,223 of them over the…