3/29/2024 0 Comments Types if maple treesIt is not my aim to make readers anti-maple, but instead pro-diversity for our urban canopies. American sycamore, Platanus occidentalis.Kentucky coffeetree, Gymnocladus dioicus.Sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua (Yes, sweetgum haters you read that correctly.Because for all those negatives, his good qualities still outshine the stuffed animal innards scattered across the living room floor from this morning. He chews on my kid's toys, ruined my front door, destroyed our windows, and steals my children's food, but I still love him and wouldn't trade him in…most days. It's like asking me why my dog is my favorite dog. The obvious follow-up question to my response of "Don't plant maples" is, "Well, what are your favorite trees?" Before I give you my list of trees, you need to know, this is a tricky question to ask of a horticulture educator. Go even farther and take a walk around your neighborhood and identify what tree species may be lacking and seek those out. If any of your neighbors have a maple tree, plant something else. With the loss of our ash trees, American cities have a great opportunity to plant a diversity of trees. What can we do to prevent repeating our mistakes of monoculture urban forests? Don't plant them. But things change, pests adapt, and new threats emerge. Asian long-horned beetle has popped up in the United States already, and fortunately our methods to controlling this pest have been successful. What's being planted in the wake of millions of lost ash trees? You guessed it – maples.Ĭurrently, there is a pest called the Asian long-horned beetle, that has the potential to completely wipe out North America's maple tree population. Today, our communities are grappling with the effects of emerald ash borer and the vast emptiness left in our urban canopies. One-by-one, each tree species succumbed to a non-native, invasive pest. Like the maple that follows in their trend, ash, chestnut, and elm were all heavily planted. The second connotation refers to the fact the American chestnut, elm, and soon-to-follow ash are history. The first indicates our historic use of the three aforementioned tree species in the United States. My use of the term 'historically' has two connotations. Their performance puts maple trees in the league of historically top-rated trees like American elm, green and white ash, and American chestnut. The characteristics of red maple, sugar maple or any of the various hybrids exemplify good fall color, decent growth rate, interesting bark, and ease of propagation. Speaking with landscapers about their inventory and what they sell more than any other species are maples. Drive down most streets and you will see a maple in everyone's yard. "Which maple should I plant?" is a question I routinely encounter.
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