City Trees

March/April 2015

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!

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Tree of Merit Japanese Zelkova (Zelkova serrata) 'JFS-KW1' (City Sprite) Photos courtesy J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. except where noted Sunrise on the City Sprite A City Sprite is planted in the Slavic Village neighborhood of Cleveland; author Chad Clink is seen at right. Photo by Maggie Stark Selecting City Sprite Zelkova for street tree plant- ings seems practical given the meeting of an urban-toler- ant species with a diminutive cultivated phenotype. The species (Zelkova serrata) is adapted to varied soil types and tolerant of drought and heat stress. It is also resistant to Dutch elm disease and elm leaf beetles which can stress and kill native and cultivated elm fam- ily (Ulmaceae) trees. There was hope that the Japanese zelkova could replace the majestic American elm (Ulmus americana) in the landscape, but this has proven unsuc- cessful. While it keeps a true vase shape, the habit is typically composed of many upright vertical branches ascending from a low-branched stem—not quite the elm effect. This can lead to conflicts with infrastructure. Thankfully the mature size of Japanese zelkova (50-80 ft/15 to 24 m in height) is reduced with City Sprite, allowing for more frequent urban utilization. This cultivar is especially practical where the presence of overhead wires could create conflict. With a mature height of 24 ft (7 m) and spread of 18 ft (5.5 m), City Sprite can be sited with confidence in growspaces that would often prove inhospitable for both medium and large trees. A co-benefit to the compact and dense form means great- er leaf area and ecosystem services, both of which are often limited when planting small trees. City Sprite brings the same aesthetic and functional bene- fits of zelkova, too. Dark green and deeply serrated leaves give way to interesting fall color, with varied gradients of yellow-orange rusts. Pale grey bark with pronounced and horizontal orange lenticels in youth becomes mottled and splotched across older flaky stems. 38 City Trees

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