W. Jim Cortese Featured in Real Simple

Jim Cortese was recently featured in Real Simple in the article “5 Trees That Add Beauty—and Value—to Your Home, According to Landscape Experts,” sharing expert insight on trees that can bring shade, curb appeal, beauty, and long-term value to a home landscape.

The article highlights several trees homeowners may consider when thinking about both beauty and practicality in the yard. Cortese contributed guidance on the white oak, sugar maple, native dogwood, and redbud, offering observations shaped by decades of work in arboriculture, urban forestry, tree preservation, and plant health care.

For Cortese, choosing the right tree is never only about appearance. A good tree can become an anchor in the landscape. It can shade a home, support birds and wildlife, mark the seasons, and become part of a family’s memory of a place.

That idea connects closely to Cortese’s broader writing on trees and people. In his Tree Stories post “A Tree Usually Tells You Before It Gives Up,” he reflected on tree heat stress and the warning signs homeowners often miss before a tree begins to decline. In his ArborTIMES feature, “The Arborists Who Built Us,” he wrote about mentorship, knowledge transfer, and the future of professional tree care.

Together, these features show the range of Cortese’s work: helping homeowners make wiser decisions about trees, helping communities understand the value of the urban forest, and helping the next generation of arborists carry the profession forward.

Read the full Real Simple article here. 

Cortese is the author of John Muir Climbs a Tree and Other Tree Tales, a unique anthology devoted entirely to stories about trees. The book brings together history, folklore, reflection, and personal connection to explore the many ways trees shape human life.

To stay connected with W. Jim Cortese or inquire about speaking opportunities, visit JimCortese.com or contact him at Ji*********@*****ok.com