City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/65193
up. Attitude in this context often refers to trees that develop into large and proud individuals, even in a dry and poor site situation. It shows that the tree doesn't care if the conditions are tough—"I can be big any- way!" The Hungarian oak (Quercus frainetto), is without doubt a tree with such an attitude. It can withstand tough urban sites and still develop into a massive and impressive tree, maturing at about 15 meters (49 feet). Yet it also qualifies amongst the top trees to have a romantic picnic underneath. When a plantsman or a dendrologist speaks about trees, the word "attitude" often comes Today, there are no problems in finding a great diversity of tree species that can grow and perform well in the rather favorable setting of parks. The great challenge lies in finding a large catalogue of species that can withstand and perform well in street environments or in other paved sites. Predicted climate change with warmer and drier site conditions will make these paved sites even more extreme for tree use, with even fewer spe- cies to choose from. Today, much of the tree research conducted is to identify which species can take part in diversifying urban paved sites, even in a future climate. The climate found in southeast Europe shares many sim- ilarities with the climate found in the inner-city environ- ment in west and northwest Europe. Here, in the forests of the Balkan region, for example, a wide range of tree species exist with the capacity to endure, tolerate, and even embrace extreme climate conditions, be they warm and extremely dry summers or very cold winters. One of the most interesting species from this region is the Hungarian oak. Though the name reveals a Hungarian affiliation, the species is rather rare in that country and is more common in Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey. Today, the Hungarian oak exists in rather limited num- bers throughout the larger cities in central and northern Europe. However, where many other broadleaved trees have problems coping with warm and dry summers in inner cities, the Hungarian oak still performs with immac- ulate greenery and a subsequent beautiful autumn colour of golden yellow. Unlike the more common pedunculate oak (Q. robur), the Hungarian oak has a much more rapid establishment rate and is much more fast growing in its younger years than many other oak species. Although Hungarian oaks tolerate extreme urban condi- tions and have a fast growth rate, their growth pattern clearly represents "attitude." Young and middle-aged Hungarian oaks have an upright green structure with a clear analogy to a doorman or a wrestler. This upright massive habitat will change after about 50-75 years, when a broader classical shape of an oak tree devel- ops. In the selection of Hungarian oak, types with a more narrow habit have been developed such as the cultivar 'Trump'. Furthermore, the most striking affect with Hungarian oaks is the deep-lobed leaves, which (left) The beautiful silhouette of Hungarian oak (Q. frainetto). Photos by Henrik Sjöman. www.urban-forestry.com Hungarian oak foliage The picnic view create an outstanding texture viewed from underneath, such that a picnic under a Hungarian oak always will be a success. In the search for future urban trees with the right atti- tude to withstand inner-city environments of today and tomorrow, the Hungarian oak is without a doubt of great contribution. The use of the species in southern Sweden and in Denmark has increased dramatically over the last ten years with so far only positive remarks. In North America, the species is so far a very rare ingre- dient in urban areas, but based on the experiences of the Hungarian oaks from Europe it will most definitely have the potential to become a future urban tree also in American cities. —Henrik Sjöman, PhD, Lecturer in Plant Material and Vegetation Construction at the Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Alnarp 39