Trees Resistant to Storm Damage

[hoopie]

I'm looking to transplant some trees from my woodlot to my front yard the next few months when the ground thaws. I've been looking at tree characteristics for quite a while now and the same sites seem to keep popping up and it gets old reading the same stuff. Not to mention sometimes they contradict each other. I'm trying to find deciduous trees that will grow at least a foot a year and stand up well to heavy winds and winter weather. Something big. I live in north central Ohio. The soil is acidic and has as quite a bit of clay in it. Where i'm putting it drains well, never has standing water, but not dry. I've got sugar maples already planted. I'd rather not plant oaks because I don't want the acorns in my yard. Any ideas what I should plant?

 

[treeseer]

I'm looking to transplant some trees from my woodlot to my front yard the next few months when the ground thaws. I've been looking at tree characteristics for quite a while now and the same sites seem to keep popping up and it gets old reading the same stuff. Not to mention sometimes they contradict each other. I'm trying to find deciduous trees that will grow at least a foot a year and stand up well to heavy winds and winter weather. Something big. I live in north central Ohio. The soil is acidic and has as quite a bit of clay in it. Where i'm putting it drains well, never has standing water, but not dry. I've got sugar maples already planted. I'd rather not plant oaks because I don't want the acorns in my yard. Any ideas what I should plant?

Many trees have good structure, but they all can be a litter nuisance.

What species do you have to choose from in your woods?

 

[hoopie]

Sugar maple, red maple, black cherry, choke cherry, pin cherry, pin oak, bur oak, white oak(probably a couple types), american beech, blue beech, hop-hornbeam, white ash, hickory(i think shagbark), big tooth aspen, quaking aspen, black willow. Elm(not sure what type), hawthorns, basswood. Probably some other stuff hiding in there. They all have their pros and cons. I'm leaning towards sugar maple(slow growing), red maple(weaker wood), black cherry(shallow rooted), red oak(huge acorns), pin oak(shallow roots). My main concern is the howling wind with all the farmland around the house. I don't want a tree toppling over in my front yard. I'm sure I probably read too much into it all. Just trying to get some opinions while I weigh my options.

 

[ropensaddle]

Sugar maple, red maple, black cherry, choke cherry, pin cherry, pin oak, bur oak, white oak(probably a couple types), american beech, blue beech, hop-hornbeam, white ash, hickory(i think shagbark), big tooth aspen, quaking aspen, black willow. Elm(not sure what type), hawthorns, basswood. Probably some other stuff hiding in there. They all have their pros and cons. I'm leaning towards sugar maple(slow growing), red maple(weaker wood), black cherry(shallow rooted), red oak(huge acorns), pin oak(shallow roots). My main concern is the howling wind with all the farmland around the house. I don't want a tree toppling over in my front yard. I'm sure I probably read too much into it all. Just trying to get some opinions while I weigh my options.

I like water oak or pin oak just structure prune at early age and it will be nice addition grows well great color and shade many but easy leaves to blow!

 

[ropensaddle]

Hoopie Note: trees adapt to their site if grown in wind it will put down roots for better anchorage. Proper pruning,watering and establishment can help curtail possible failures.

 

[treeseer]

hic and oak may be harder to move due to taproots.

Stability is due to rooting depth--prepare a deep and wide area, while firming the ground under the trunk to keep flare at grade. Pulling roots out individually rather than cutting them will make for more roots moved and more success.

 

[hoopie]

thanks for the info. if you keep good branch angles, is red maple durable to strong wind and weather? Are certain trees better than others at resisting that "leaning" look from the wind (more branches downwind side than upwind). Or are they all going to do that if the wind is pretty steady?

 

[Dieselbreath]

I don't know how it would grow in your area but Big Leaf Maple is a good yard tree here. I live in a windy area in NW Oregon and even the oaks are leaning but not the maples.

 

[ropensaddle]

thanks for the info. if you keep good branch angles, is red maple durable to strong wind and weather? Are certain trees better than others at resisting that "leaning" look from the wind (more branches downwind side than upwind). Or are they all going to do that if the wind is pretty steady?

Leaning look Is more effected by shade and available light than wind. Red maple tends to be a little brittle limbed if I remember correctly. Trees subjected to wind from saplings tend to put wood in trunk to help support them as well as grow roots if soil conditions are met. How big of trees are you going to relocate? Reducing can help but all these things are time sensitive meaning done at the right time in the plants life. Trees that shed limbs due to wind are not all bad because many times it prevents uprooting. It all depends on soil,placement in the landscape and your objective for planting. Seer mentioned planting hole and that is the foundation if roots are not in suitable environment they will not produce well. How close to house,power lines or other concerns. Look at all the trees matured in wide open fields, I can think of many that are healthy. It don't matter in tornado's, trees can only take so much but usually the trees will be the least of your worry if a tornado hits. If your going to plant and care for it yourself read up on establishment ,planting hole get a soil test done and try to select the tree that suits the soil. If you give it the best conditions it will likely give you the best outcome.

 

[ehgauss]

You mentioned fast growing. No one seems to have mentioned honey locust. They are very sturdy, and grow a lot faster than the maples and oaks. I planted several along with sugar maples in my front yard about 40 years ago. The honey locusts are about three times the size of the maples. They tend to have shallow roots, though, so if you're on hardpan, that may give you trouble. I have deep soil, and have no sign of surface roots. Also, one of my three honey locusts seems to be a female tree, and drops a huge number of seed pods each fall. The other two trees don't drop pods. It's not a big deal, because they just mulch up when I go over them with the mower. Honey locust leaves are tiny also, and the mower deals with them quite well.

 

[ropensaddle]

You mentioned fast growing. No one seems to have mentioned honey locust. They are very sturdy, and grow a lot faster than the maples and oaks. I planted several along with sugar maples in my front yard about 40 years ago. The honey locusts are about three times the size of the maples. They tend to have shallow roots, though, so if you're on hardpan, that may give you trouble. I have deep soil, and have no sign of surface roots. Also, one of my three honey locusts seems to be a female tree, and drops a huge number of seed pods each fall. The other two trees don't drop pods. It's not a big deal, because they just mulch up when I go over them with the mower. Honey locust leaves are tiny also, and the mower deals with them quite well.

Thornless I suppose:monkey:

 

[rarefish383]

The thornless hybrid Honey Locust you get from a nursery are nice yard trees. I have 2 and really like them. Another good characteristic of the Honey Locust is the small leaf, it lets lots of light through, and grass will grow well under the tree. Pin Oaks and Willow Oaks grow fast, grass grows good under them, but they do have a tendancy to shed lots of dead wood the bigger they get. If you plan on pruning them yourself the dead brush is stiff and can be like handling barbed wire. but, I do like them.

Of the trees you mentioned on your lot I think I might lean toward the American Beech. Although it's rather slow growing. It's tough as nails, the smallish leaf makes it quite wind resistent for the large canopy size, good shade, grass grows well under it, and from a real estate point, it values the property more than most other trees. good luck with your choice, Joe.

 

[danieltree]

Have you thought of planting 3 or 4 trees close together so that they will grow up instead of out. This way as time goes and the trees grow you can cull out the ones you dont like and your tree will begin early life in more of a forest environment. I have done this in areas were I was attempting to screen my property . It was with pines though. As I thinned and trimmed the few trees that I ended up keeping are now some really nice pines. I took notice and they grew much faster than the pines that were out in the field. I see it in peoples yards as well. We plant an oak and expect it to grow like a forest tree in an open lot. What ends up happening is it grows out and develops huge limbs that end up tearing off in a storm.

 

[peregordusmc]

I just want to throw this out there. I read this in a couple different places. The younger the tree is when it is transplated or grown the better its chances to survive and adapt to their surroundings. Just like humans do with whether. People in florida dont like it when its 50 degrees down there but us northern states people go down there when its that temp and we are still walking around in shorts and a T-shirt. Just about any young tree will adapt to the wind in your yard and be strong. And as to the leaning issues thats more due to light and how the tree will grow towards it and also can be due root damage.

 

[David (saltas)]

no one has mentioned prep work for transplant

To increase the success of the transplant.

uses a vacuum truck and water blast around the out side of root ball that you intend to remove when you transplant and cut the roots. back fill the hole with sand and let it grow for another three months water and fertilize . The tree will have grown some new feeder roots. When the tree is transplanted it will recover from the transplant shock quicker

 

[ropensaddle]

Have you thought of planting 3 or 4 trees close together so that they will grow up instead of out. This way as time goes and the trees grow you can cull out the ones you dont like and your tree will begin early life in more of a forest environment. I have done this in areas were I was attempting to screen my property . It was with pines though. As I thinned and trimmed the few trees that I ended up keeping are now some really nice pines. I took notice and they grew much faster than the pines that were out in the field. I see it in peoples yards as well. We plant an oak and expect it to grow like a forest tree in an open lot. What ends up happening is it grows out and develops huge limbs that end up tearing off in a storm.

Actually this can be detrimental. Trees grown in a crowded forest and then cleared have less acclimation to wind and as you say grow taller. Taller with less taper in trunks and lower limbs cause uprooting instead of limb failure!