ReTree Nebraska-Good Trees for the Good Life "Nine for 2009"

Why is species diversity important?

Species diversity is a common measure of a community forest's overall health. In a sense, increasing species diversity prevents us from "putting all our eggs in one basket" and prohibits any single insect or disease from destroying a community's entire forest resource. Pine wilt, Dutch elm disease and the approaching emerald ash borer (EAB) all reinforce the importance of species diversity. In fact, forestry experts recommend that no single species make up more than 10 percent of the entire community forest resource.

ReTree Nebraska's Good Trees for the Good Life

Because one of the goals of ReTree Nebraska is to increase species diversity in community forests across our state, ReTree Nebraska is announcing "Good Trees for the Good Life." This list includes trees that grow well in Nebraska, but are often under-utilized. Starting in 2008, a tree species will be added each year to the previous selections until 2017 creating "Eight for 2008," "Nine for 2009,"..."Seventeen for 2017." For more information about these, and other under-utilized species, contact retreenebraska@unl.edu.

Nine for 2009	(in feet)		G=Good F=Fair P=Poor
Evergreen Trees	Height	Spread	Flowers	Fruit	Fall Color	Bark
concolor fir—Abies concolor Attractive blue-green, long, upswept needles. Most reliable fir for Nebraska.	30-50+	15-30	P	G	N/A	F

Small to Medium Deciduous Trees
Shantung maple—Acer truncatum Glossy, distinctive leaves; rounded form. Proving to be tough and reliable.	15	15	G	F	G	F
Miyabe maple—Acer miyabei Dark green summer foliage. Available cultivar 'Morton' State Street^TM. 2009 tree species addition.	30-50	34-45	F	F	G	G

Large Deciduous Trees (typically more than 40 feet tall at maturity)
Kentucky coffeetree—Gymnocladus dioicus Great for clay soils; highly ornamental in winter. Seedless cultivars Available.	50-60+	30-45	P	F	F	F
northern catalpa—Catalpa speciosa Large tropical leaves; attractive, fragrant flowers in spring. Easy to grow.	40-60	30-40	G	F	P	F
baldcypress—Taxodium distichum A graceful, deciduous conifer. Great for wet areas or in compacted soils; drought tolerant.	50-70+	20-30	F	G	G	F
bur oak—Quercus macrocarpa One of the best trees for Nebraska. Easy to grow and long-lived.	50-60	50-70	F	F	P	F
chinkapin oak—Quercus muehlenbergii Distinctive serrated leaves; thinner canopy than most oaks. Good on high pH soils.	40-50+	30-40	F	F	F	F
elm hybrids—Ulmus x Many disease-resistant hybrid elms are available including proven cultivars, such as ‘Accolade,’ ‘Discovery,’ ‘New Horizon,’ ‘Pioneer,’ ‘Triumph’ and ‘Vanguard’. Easy to grow; good as street trees.	40-60+	40-60+	P	P	F	F
Click here for a printable version of the species information