Tag: yard trees
Large, Evergreen, and Native Options for Your Yard
Do you have a yard that could use a tree? Maybe you want more summertime shade or to provide a home for local wildlife. There’s nothing quite like waking up to the sound of birds.
A big part of planting a tree is deciding where to put it. As residents, our greatest opportunity to add trees to our community is at our own homes. Friends of Trees plants a lot of trees along the street in right-of-way planting strips. More and more, we’re looking for people who are excited to plant trees in their yards. It’s a lot of untapped area for trees to grow, providing all their community benefits like clean air and water, wildlife habitat, cooler summer temperatures, and more.
We are especially excited to promote large, evergreen, and native trees, because each of those qualities can really maximize the benefits a tree provides.
Big trees provide more shade, more habitat, more carbon sequestration, stormwater filtration, and air pollution reduction. It takes a while for them to grow (and some longer than others), so the time to plant them is now!
Because they keep their leaves (or needles) year round, evergreen trees are always helping clean our air. Particulates in the air are caught by (and in some cases, absorbed into) leaves and needles, then wash away into the soil where they can be broken down into something less harmful.
And of course we love native trees! Native trees are excellent choices for providing bird and wildlife habitat, and they’re suited to our specific climate and conditions, making them relatively resilient and easy to care for. While a diverse, healthy urban canopy also includes non-native species, especially those adapted to the stresses of climate change and urban settings, native species have a special sense of belonging and cultural relevance in this place.
Our staff has compiled a list of some of their favorite large, evergreen, and native trees! Especially for our Portland plantings, where our partnership is prioritizing these species, we encourage you to consider choosing some of these awesome trees!
Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa
Native to PNW | Easy to maintain | Valuable to wildlife | Drought tolerant | 90′ at maturity
Characteristics:
One of the most distinguishing features of the Ponderosa pine is its cinnamon-colored, puzzle-piece bark that smells like vanilla.This large native pine has long needles and medium-large cones. It’s a great drought-tolerant choice for windbreak or erosion control and a great wildlife tree that is popular with birds and squirrels.
Growing Conditions:
Ponderosa pine can grow well in hot, dry sites and can withstand very cold winters. It is adaptable to a variety of conditions but develops best in wet, deep, sandy gravel and clay loams. We make sure to source our ponderosa pines from the Willamette Valley subspecies, which is genetically adapted to this climate.
Douglas-Fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Native to PNW | Valuable to wildlife | 100′ at maturity
Characteristics:
Douglas-fir is a staple of Pacific Northwest forests, establishing well after fires and other disturbances. This large, fast-growing native conifer provides excellent shade. The cones, needles, and twigs of the Douglas-fir are an important food source for wildlife. This is the Oregon state tree.
Growing Conditions:
Prefers sun and moist, well-drained soils. Does best in deep moist sandy loams.
Note: We are currently sold out of Doug-firs, but are working to source more! Check back in to our online store if you don’t see them available.
Oregon White Oak
Quercus garryana
Native to PNW | Easy to maintain | Valuable to wildlife | Drought tolerant | 50′ at maturity
Characteristics:
This large Pacific Northwest native oak has a beautiful form, broadly spreading with a rounded crown. Its glossy, dark green, round-lobed leaves turn in autumn to a golden brown, occasionally tinted yellow or red. Oregon White Oak is drought-tolerant and thrives in drier environments. It supports a multitude of wildlife species such as the acorn woodpecker, slender-billed white-breasted nuthatch, and Western gray squirrel, as well as hundreds of species of insects, including pollinators. Oregon white oak and its associated habitats, such as oak savanna and prairie, are part of a diminishing ecosystem that has been actively managed by Native Americans in our region for thousands of years.
Growing Conditions:
Slower-growing. A great summer shade tree for a sunny location. Can tolerate seasonal flooding but prefers drier soil in summer.
Incense-cedar
Calocedrus decurrens
Native to PNW | Easy to maintain | Valuable to wildlife | 50’ at maturity
Characteristics:
Named for its pleasant, spicy aroma, this medium-large conifer is actually in the cypress family and not a true cedar. A dense, columnar tree that does well in narrower spaces, it’s a great choice for screening and privacy. It has excellent wildlife benefits. Native Americans use the plant in traditional medicine, basket making, hunting bows, and for building materials.
Growing Conditions:
Incense-cedar is a great choice for drier sites. It is fire-resistant and drought-tolerant once established. Make sure to plant incense-cedars at least 15 feet apart to prevent overcrowding.
Bur Oak
Quercus macrocarpa
Valuable to wildlife | Drought tolerant | 60′ at maturity
Characteristics:
This magnificent, stately oak develops a large trunk and stout branches and makes for a great shade tree. Macrocarpa means large fruit, referring to this tree’s large acorns. Its dark green leaves resemble a fiddle in shape and have a lighter-colored underside that creates a subtle double-color effect in the breeze.
Growing Conditions:
Grows best in full sun to partial sun. Is tolerant of urban conditions including drought, pollution and poor soil.
Also consider: swamp white oak, pin oak, or any other oak. We love oaks!
Cascara
Frangula purshiana
Native to PNW | Easy to maintain | Valuable to wildlife | 30′ at maturity.
Characteristics:
This small, deciduous native tree has graceful, sparse branching that holds umbrella-shaped clusters of small, green to yellow flowers in summer—a favorite nectar source for bumblebees. The tree’s elliptical green leaves become yellow, orange, red, or purple in fall, and its small berries attract birds and other wildlife. Its bark has important medicinal properties, including a powerful laxative effect, and is used by many native coastal tribes.
Growing Conditions:
Cascara grows best in shade or partial shade, and thrives in moist, well-drained soils. With our summers lasting longer and getting hotter, we recommend planting this tree where it is protected from west and/or south-facing sun. Young cascaras are showing signs of stress when they are planted in locations that receive all-day sun, especially at the hottest times of the day.
Tulip Tree
Liriodendron tulipifera
Interesting flowers | 80’ at maturity
Characteristics:
This magnificent, fast-growing deciduous tree has striped bark, unique leaves, and a stately form.. Its tulip-shaped flowers have yellow-green petals and an orange corolla. Its glossy, four-lobed leaves are bright green and turn yellow in fall. This is one of the most effective trees for filtering out air pollutants.
Growing Conditions:
Prefers partial shade when young and well-drained soil; best with summer water.
Espresso Kentucky Coffeetree
Gymnocladus dioicus ‘Espresso’
Interesting flowers | Easy to maintain | 50’ at maturity
Characteristics:
Medium to large open, round-crowned deciduous tree. This seedless cultivar exhibits an upward, arching form, and has attractive hanging clusters of fragrant white flowers in spring.
Growing Conditions:
Prefers full sun, humus-rich, moist soil, but adapts well to urban conditions. Tolerates drought and occasional flooding.
Leaflet: Summer Glory
Shop now, plant later
Now is when trees are in their full glory. You can see it, smell it, and feel it whenever you walk around the neighborhood. It’s not a good time to plant trees—we’ll wait until our planting season, October-April—but now is the time to be thinking about what tree you might want to plant. Look for the species on a Friends of Trees tag. Consider how big a tree gets when it’s mature.
“When we call you later this year to see what tree you want, you won’t be able to look around and see what a tree looks like in the middle of summer,” says Neighborhood Trees Senior Specialist Andrew Land. “Summer is an outstanding time to look around.”
Beyond finding a tree whose glory really speaks to you, now is also a great time to think critically about the conditions where a particular tree can succeed. A core aspect of the Friends of Trees ethos is right tree, right place. We want every tree to survive and thrive.
If you see a tree you really like and think, maybe I want one of those, observe the place that it’s in. Consider the conditions: sunlight, moisture, competition, space. Compare those to the conditions in your own yard where you might want a tree.
When we talk about a tree getting full sun, we’re really only talking about the growing season from mid-April through September. The sun exposure in your yard changes considerably from season to season. Now is the time to study how much sun your new tree would get next summer.
“Thinking ahead is how we set up a tree and its steward—you—for success,” Andrew says.
We always invite you to connect with staff about tree selection. And we encourage you to keep an open mind to something new and different. Don’t be afraid of big trees. Consider trees that will be more resilient to climate change. Glory is subjective, and there are so many factors beyond appearance.
“Take the Hardy Rubber Tree, for example,” Andrew says. “It’s nondescript. You wouldn’t necessarily call it pretty. But it’s the best air filter of all the trees.”
Or take the Amur Maackia. It’s not known for its spring flower or its fall color, but it casts a beautiful dappled shade and does really well in the urban environment. When it comes down to it, survivability is the biggest priority.
“Think of all the benefits that a tree provides to people and community,” Andrew says. “Those benefits expand exponentially every year that a tree survives, which is why we want every tree to last as long as possible.”
Leaflet
Restoring the Balance
Today, we’re asking you to put yourself in a tree’s shoes–or roots. Planting day is so exciting for volunteers. We get to hang out with our neighbors, get our hands dirty, and feel good about getting trees in the ground. But planting day is the most stressful day of a tree’s life.
When we plant a tree, we have to cut some of its roots. Container-grown trees need to have their roots cut to prevent them from circling in on themselves, even after they’re put in the ground. Ball and burlap trees are grown in the ground, but they also get their roots cut when they are put into that ball to be moved to their final location.
Trees are all about balance. Balance between canopy, where the tree can feed on sunlight and perform photosynthesis, and roots, which pull nutrients from the soil and provide the tree its needed strength and stability. For a newly planted tree, this time of year is all about restoring that balance and getting the roots and the shoots established.
Trees are like icebergs—there’s a lot more going on beneath the surface than we realize. Being able to understand what’s going on underground for our trees helps us better care for them, especially when it comes to watering.
We’ve mentioned watering plenty, but it’s so important that we can’t really talk about it too much. We have had an incredibly wet spring, which is great for the trees! As stewards, we’ve been able to keep our foot off the gas—we haven’t really had to worry about getting out our hose or watering bucket all that much.
But at some point the rain becomes intermittent and shallow enough that it doesn’t reach the tree roots. Watering trees is very different from watering grass, which benefits from frequent and shallow watering. One of the most common watering mistakes is watering your tree like you would your grass, for just a few minutes every day. For trees, we want deep and infrequent. In the summer, a thorough watering once a week is a perfect schedule (see details here).
When you water your tree, imagine what’s going on underground. We want to water the tips of the roots as they spread out. Another common watering mistake is when folks just point their hose at the base of the trunk and water there. You want to simulate a rain storm for your tree, watering all sides, and several feet away from the trunk so that you get the tips of the roots.
Overwatering is rare, but you still want to avoid it. Again, it helps to picture what’s going on beneath the surface. Perfect soil is about 50% air and water pockets. Too much water can flatten those pockets and there’s no air. You’re essentially drowning your roots. Beyond that, too wet soil threatens the stability of the tree. When a tree fails because it’s thrown by the wind, it’s usually because the soil is too wet.
This time of year, we are spectacularly rewarded for our care for our trees. Bud break, flowering, leafing out—it’s a rejuvenating thing to see each spring.
If you’re thinking about getting a new tree for your yard next year, now is a good time to consider which species you might want! What trees are catching your eye? What looks like it might be right at home in your yard. Take note now, and next year, we can get you what you’re looking for!
A lot of trees and tree stories – 16,000+ trees planted so far this season!
“It was an amazing day, perfect weather, awesome people and healthy trees! Couldn’t ask for a better planting day, truly.” Alex, volunteer tree planter (above photo taken at our Gresham planting event)
So far in our 2019-20 planting season we’ve planted more than 16,000 trees and native shrubs! Here are some highlights from some amazing days this season:
Neighborhood Trees Program: 820 trees planted
“It was wonderful to plant in our neighborhood! I look forward to checking up on all of our trees over the next few years.” -Neighborhood Trees volunteer planter
Green Space Program: 15,800 trees planted
“The team created a warm and welcoming environment. It was a lovely event that we truly enjoyed!” -Green Space planting volunteer
Trees & Health Symposium in Gresham on Nov 13
We all know that trees provide benefits to people and the communities they live in.
But do you know how to care for trees to help them thrive, and how you can add to Gresham’s tree canopy at home or in your neighborhood?
The Gresham Trees and Health Symposium will feature a mix of speakers, film, discussion, tree care booths, light refreshments, and a summary of the City’s Green Gresham, Healthy Gresham tree project in Rockwood.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
6:00 – 8:00 PM, Rockwood Boys & Girls Club
More information and registration information is here, thank you to our co-hosts Multnomah County and City of Gresham!