Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Tree Species Selection with an Eye Towards Maintenance

1981; Volume: 7; Issue: 12 Linguagem: Inglês

10.48044/jauf.1981.073

2155-0778

D.J. Chapman,

Botanical Studies and Applications

The correct selection of trees can vary the annual maintenance cost from 20 to 50 percent of the planted price. Factors to consider when selecting trees for city streets or park landscapes include pruning requirements and response, resistance, catastrophic insect pests, soil adaption, complementary planting, shade or sun adaption, provenance, and adaptive cultivars. Pruning requirements and response have significant impact on whether the tree will fit your program, withstanding, budget. Some trees require annual pruning to correct habit or excess suckering, e.g. crab apple {Malus), silver maple (Acer saccharinum), boxelder (A. negundo), hawthorn species (Crataegus), red maple {A. rubrum), and thornless honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos inermis). These trees are aggressive growers and pruning for several years (just after transplanting or on 5-year cycles) is insufficient and will result in deformed trees or problems in the future. Compartmentalization or wound response is equally important. Silver maple, red maple, birch, elm, and beech do not have a good wound response when considering resistance to heartwood rot, generally speaking, even when considering actively growing trees, many show heartwood decay (9). When the pruning cut is in excess of 2 to 3 inches, heartwood rot, slime flux, or a similar structural problem can develop, resulting in the tree getting the name of weak-wooded. Is it weak wood or are we, through poor pruning practices, introducing a problem? Wound response must be considered. Trees that require little or no pruning after the initial two to three prunings during the establishment period include oak (white (Quercus alba), scarlet (Q. coccinea), pin (Q. palustris)), ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), goldenraintree (Koelreuteria paniculata), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), Norway maple (A. platanoides), and black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), to mention only a few. These trees have relatively good habit or form. Many trees have good tolerance. Crab apple, one of the most adaptive trees for park or city streets, is variably resistant to apple scab and fireblight. These diseases can be controlled by three or more pesticide applications annually or the planting of resistant cultivars. Resistant cultivars for Michigan, Wisconsin, and Northern Ohio include Malus 'Adams,' 'baccata 'Jackii,' 'Barbara Ann,' 'Beverly,' 'Bob White,' 'Callaway,' 'Candied Apple,' 'Centennial,' 'Centurian,' 'Coralburst,' 'David,' 'Dolgo,' 'Donald Wyman,' floribunda, 'Golden Hornet,' hupehensis, 'Indian Magic,' 'Indian Summer,' 'Liset,' 'Makamik,' 'Mary Potter,' 'Mount Arbor Special,' 'Professor Sprenger,' 'Profusion,' 'Red Baron,' 'Red Jewel,' 'Red Splendor,' 'Royal Ruby,' 'Ruth Ann,' sargentii, scheideckeri, 'Selkirk,' 'Sentinel,' 'Silver Moon,' 'Snowdrift,' tschonoskii, 'White Angel,' 'White Cascade,' 'Winter Gold' (2, 4, 7). Resistant cultivars are the same for all areas of the country as there are different strains of the disease (fireblight and apple scab). Thus, one should contact a local nurseryman or your Cooperative Extension Service for recommended cultivars. The above cultivars give one a tremendous range to select from. Their flower color will vary from white to pink or dark red. Fruit only varies in color but also in size from V* to 1 inch in diameter. These recommended cultivar's habits of growth are pendulous, oval, columnar, and dwarf. Crab apple is an exciting, small utility tree, adapted to heavy and/or well-drained soils while thriving in turf. To reiterate, the main disadvantage of Malus is they annually require some maintenance (insect control or pruning). This high maintenance requirement will eliminate this outstanding group of plants from some landscapes due to cost. Maples vary greatly in resistance with red maple and sugar maple showing few problems while being less adaptive than Norway maple to urban conditions. Conversely, Norway