Collaboratively with nursery owners and managers, a multi-disciplinary team of Extension professionals developed detailed protocols for field production of landscape trees, shrubs and container production of trees, shrubs and flowering potted plans. This information was used to model the system and analyze system components using life cycle assessment. It was determined that 60% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in field tree production and more than 50% of variable costs were associated with equipment use and the majority of that was in the harvesting process. Elimination of one movement of individual trees reduced the GHG by at least 16% and the variable cost per tree by 6%. Assuming 1,000 trees per acre, the cost savings was as high as $2,300 per acre.  The major contributors of GHG in container-grown nursery crops and flowering potted plants were the container, substrate and fertilizer. Alternative substrate and container composition and more efficient delivery of nutrients and water could decrease GHG emissions in production. A 10% reduction in fertilizer use would result in a 3 to 5% reduction in GHG but only a minor reduction in variable costs for container-grown plants.