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: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/723399
12 City Trees In the Nov/Dec 2011 issue of City Trees, Former NYC Director of Street Tree Planting Matt Stephens wrote "Debunking a Tree Planting Myth: Fall Transplanting Hazards," wherein he broke down the four main traits for species pre- sumed to be "fall hazards" and then gave advice to counter- act these traits. Since then, I wrote this addendum based on interviews with Nina Bassuk, Matthew Erb, and Steve Cothrel. Following that: an update on bare root planting in the Nor theast U.S. and a notice about free Cornell Urban Hor ticulture Institute (UHI) Webinars. "Fall Hazards": A More Nuanced Look UHI Director and street tree exper t Dr. Nina Bassuk says, "Those 'fall hazards' lists are generalizations. Typically the trees that appear on those lists are trees that are more dif- ficult to transplant, period. In spring they don't become easy to transplant; they're just observed to be easier in the spring than in the fall." Tree Pittsburgh Director of Urban Forestry Matthew Erb has overseen the planting of more than 25,000 trees (mostly B&B) since 2008. "I'm sure if you look hard enough, you will find nearly every species on someone's fall hazard list," he says. Oaks frequently appear on fall hazard lists. "We've actually had great success planting oaks B&B in the fall—specifically swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor)," Erb says. "The fall-planted ones even put out typically twice as much growth for us the following spring than do the spring-plant - ed ones." Erb credits Nina Bassuk for this, as her research on methods and times of transplanting swamp white oak spurred him to plant them in the fall. Erb says Tree Pittsburgh has had no problems with B&B fall-planted red maples (Acer rubrum and associated cultivars and hybrids), London plane- trees (Platanus x acerifolia), hornbeams (Carpinus spp.) and hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), all of which frequent- ly appear on fall hazard lists. Some other "fall hazard" species that Tree Pittsburgh has had success with transplanting B&B in the fall—with cave- ats in parentheses—include tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) (Erb found it needs to be transplanted earlier in the fall), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) (simi- lar survival rate to spring-planted trees), and Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus) (when transplanted at 2- to 2.5- inch/5- to 6.35-cm caliper). On the other side of the ledger, Tree Pittsburgh has tried fall planting of river birch (Betula nigra), flowering cherry (Prunus spp.), goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata), and sweet- Fall Hazards, Bare Root, & UHI Webinars Updates by Michelle Sutton, Editor, City Trees Many municipalities have planted swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor) successfully in the fall. Photo by Michelle Sutton