Tree Selection

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Tree Selection

• The best tree for the site
• The best site for the tree
• Quality nursery stock

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Tree Species Selection

• Why do I want to plant a tree here?
• Will a tree grow here?
• Is there room for a tree here?
• Is the climate OK?
• Whats the soil like?
• Is there enough or too much sunlight or heat?
• What will people do to this tree?
• Will this tree cause problems some day?
• Which tree is best suited to this site and will
  do what I want it to do?

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Selecting the Best Species for the Site
White Oak
Overcup Oak
Swamp Chestnut Oak
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Selecting the Best Site for the Species
White Oak
Overcup Oak
Swamp Chestnut Oak
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Tree Selection
Red Maple in cutout
Princeton Elm in bumpout
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Tree Selection
Tough urban conditions demand tough trees
and proper care.
Johnston, SC Lacebark Elms
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A FEW OF MY FAVORITE TREES
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There are no fool-proof trees (fools are so creat
ive).
Logging chain
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Some trees are more fool-resistant than others.
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BALDCYPRESS Taxodium distichum
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Longleaf PinePinus palustris
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Longleaf PinePinus palustris
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Longleaf PinePinus palustris
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Deodar Cedar Cedrus deodara
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White Oaks White Oak Quercus alba Swamp Chest
nut Oak Q. michauxii Swamp White Oak Q. bicolor
Bur Oak Q. macrocarpa Post Oak Q. stella
ta
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White OakQuercus alba
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Bur Oak Quercus macrocarpa
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Post Oak Quercus stellata
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Blackgum Nyssa sylvatica
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SycamorePlatanus occidentalis
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Holly Hybrids Ilex x attenuata, etc.
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Southern Magnolia Magnolia grandiflora
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Kousa Dogwood Cornus kousa
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A FEW OF MY NON-FAVORITE TREES
(YOU MAY BE SHOCKED)
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Red Maple Acer rubrum
(I told you youd be shocked)
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Red Maple Acer rubrum

• Thin bark, sensitive to wounding
• Sensitive to deep planting and over-mulching
• Prone to codominant leaders
• Needs early and frequent pruning

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Silver Maple Acer saccharinum
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Silver Maple Acer saccharinum
All the problems of red maple, plus its brittle,
trashy, invasive, even more prone to surface
roots, and not even pretty in the fall.
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Japanese Zelkova Zelkova serrata
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Chinese Zelkova Zelkova serrata

• Poster child for included bark
• Very sensitive to deep planting
• Very sensitive to poor drainage
• Requires early frequent pruning to develop good
  structure

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Japanese Zelkova Zelkova serrata
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Chinese Elm Ulmus parvifolia
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Chinese Elm Ulmus parvifolia
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Chinese Elm Ulmus parvifolia
Requires frequent and extensive pruning to
develop good branch structure with most cultivars
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Chinese Elm Ulmus parvifolia
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Willow Oak Quercus phellos
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Willow Oak Quercus phellos

• Prone to codominant leaders
• Very susceptible to root rot fungi
• Needs early and frequent pruning
• Usually abused by nurseries
• Mature trees brittle, easily broken

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Willow Oak Quercus phellos
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River Birch Betula nigra
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Flowering Pears and Cherries Pyrus Prunus sp.
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Flowering Pears and Cherries Pyrus Prunus sp.
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Flowering Pears and Cherries Pyrus Prunus sp.

• Breakage
• Fire blight
• Tent caterpillars
• Vulnerable to late frosts
• Sensitive to poor drainage and over-watering

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Leyland Cypress x Cupressocyparis leylandii
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Leyland Cypress x Cupressocyparis leylandii
Botryosphaeria canker
Seiridium canker
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Leyland Cypress x Cupressocyparis leylandii
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Leyland Cypress x Cupressocyparis leylandii
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Live Oak Quercus virginiana
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Live Oak Quercus virginiana
In the Piedmont, very susceptible to ice damage.
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Ash Fraxinus, sp.
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Ash Fraxinus, sp.
Codominant stems and forks require early and
frequent pruning.
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Ash Fraxinus, sp.
Emerald Ash Borer Coming our way?
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Whats wrong with this picture?
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Selecting Quality Trees from the Nursery
Dr. Edward F. Gilman and Traci Partin
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Poor vs. good quality
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Advantages to selecting quality trees

• Higher survival post-planting
• Greater longevity in the landscape
• Reduces period of time needed for establishment
• Reduces likelihood of failure from structural
  defects during a wind or ice storm
  

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Important considerations for selection

• Production method
• Maximum size at planting
• Root ball dimensions
• Root collar location
• Root defects
• Root ball caliper height relationship
• Trunk and branch structure
• Other

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Tree production methods

• Balled in burlap (BB)- root pruned prior to
  transplanting- not root pruned

• Container- above ground- pot in pot- fabric
• Bare root

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Choose among tree production methods based on
weight and staking capabilities
BB Balled-in-burlap
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Tree survival in the landscape can depend on the
production method and irrigation practices after
planting
BB Balled-in-burlap
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Tree survival in the landscape can depend on the
production method and irrigation practices after
planting
BB Balled-in-burlap
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Here is the summary story

• Under limited irrigation
• Root pruned, hardened-off BB last to die
• Containers in the middle
• Recently dug BB first to die
• Under appropriate, intensive irrigation
• It does not appear to matter

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Oak not root pruned
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Root pruned last production year only
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Root pruned last year and year before
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Not root pruned
One year after transplanting
Root pruned last production year
Root pruned last 2 production years
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Conclusions about root pruning

• Root pruning during production provides a product
  that
  
• 1) is slightly smaller
• 2) has a denser, more fibrous root
  system
  
• 3) has a more uniform root system
• 4) transplants more successfully

Note Not all species require root pruning. Some
have a dense fibrous root system without root
pruning.
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Important considerations for selection

• Production method
• Maximum size at planting
• Root ball dimensions
• Root collar location
• Root defects
• Root ball caliper height relationship
• Trunk and branch structure
• Other

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Selecting the right tree size

• Irrigation capabilities
• When irrigation is limited
• Site drainage
• If drainage is poor
• Weed control and mulch management
• If weeds are not controlled and compete with
  tree for water

then select small nursery stock such as 1.5 to 3
inch caliper trees.
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Tree size impacts tree establishment rate
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Tree size impacts tree establishment rate
Percent caliper, height, and spread increase
between May and October 2005 for live oak
transplanted from 15 and 45 containers to the
field. __________________________________________
______ Container caliper height s
pread Size increase increase increa
se ----------------------------------------------
--------------------------- 15 (1 caliper)
60.4a 36.5a
55.8a1 45 (2.5 caliper) 14
.8b 9.1 36.4b
________________________________________________
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Conclusions about tree size

• Smaller trees take less time and water to
  establish.
  
• Survival of smaller nursery stock is greater if
  irrigation capabilities are limited.
  
• Growth rate of small trees is significantly
  greater than when the same species is planted at
  a larger size.
  
• Unless plenty of water can be supplied, it is
  better to plant smaller trees.

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Important considerations for selection

• Production method
• Maximum size at planting
• Root ball dimensions
• Root collar location
• Root defects
• Root ball caliper height relationship
• Trunk and branch structure
• Other

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Root ball dimensions

• Root balls of any shape perform equally well in
  well-drained soil.
  
• Tall root balls help keep deeper roots moist.
• Wide and shallow root balls are better suited for
  planting in poorly-drained and compacted sites.
  
• Shallow root balls dry quicker on well-drained
  sites.

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Good for poorly drained site
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Important considerations for selection

• Production method
• Maximum size at planting
• Root ball dimensions
• Root collar location
• Root defects
• Root ball caliper height relationship
• Trunk and branch structure
• Other

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Root collar location

• Remove soil or media around the base of the trunk
  until you locate the top-most root.

Root flare
Top most root

• The top-most major root should be within 2-3 of
  the surface of the root ball.

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Nicely positioned root collar
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A trunk without a flare should trigger a root
check.
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PLANTED TOO DEEPLY IN THE NURSERY
Soil level
Roots generated after planting
Most common
Original top root
Less common
No roots generated after planting
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Conclusions about trees planted too deep

• Do not purchase the tree.
• Soil, media, and roots growing above the original
  top-most root should be mostly removed prior to
  planting.

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Important considerations for selection

• Production method
• Maximum size at planting
• Root ball dimensions
• Root collar location
• Root defects
• Root ball caliper height relationship
• Trunk and branch structure
• Other

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Types of root defects

• Circling roots
• Kinked roots
• Girdling roots
• Root-bound

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Circling roots
Notice roots circling at the top and sides of the
root ball.
Circling roots develop when trees are grown in
containers for a prolonged period, causing roots
to be deflected by the container wall and to
circle the outside of the root ball.
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This tree was found leaning after a hurricane.
The cause circling roots
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Kinked roots
Kinked roots occur if roots are folded into a
propagation bed at the seedling stage.
Kinked root
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Girdling root

• Girdling roots are formed when regenerated roots
  grow perpendicular to a cut root, or from growing
  in a container too long.
  
• As the tree grows, these roots may meet the trunk
  and begin to strangle it.

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Girdling root brings down a giant
Indented trunk
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Root-bound
Root-bound trees have many roots circling around
the outside of the root ball.
This causes a physical barrier, preventing the
tree from spreading roots into the landscape soil
after planting.
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Many roots inside but few on the edge of root
ball indicate quality.
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Quick test for root quality
Good Quality
Poor Quality
Trunk does not bend
Trunk bends
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Conclusions about root defects

• Root defects have a significant impact on tree
  performance in the landscape.
  
• Defects can occur on all trees regardless of the
  production method.
  
• Problems are easier to correct in the nursery
  when the tree is young some correction can occur
  at the time of planting.

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Important considerations for selection

• Production method
• Maximum size at planting
• Root ball dimensions
• Root collar location
• Root defects
• Root ball caliper height relationship
• Trunk and branch structure
• Other

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Root ball standards
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Way over-grown
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Conclusions about root height ratio

• Ideally, the dimensions of the root ball should
  exceed the minimum that is recommended.

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Important considerations for selection

• Production method
• Maximum size at planting
• Root ball dimensions
• Root collar location
• Root defects
• Root ball caliper height relationship
• Trunk and branch structure
• Other

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Trunk structure

• Shade trees of lesser quality have two or more
  trunks
  
• Best quality shade trees have one dominant trunk

poor quality
best quality
good quality
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BranchArrangement
Good quality
Poor quality

• Major branches and trunks should not touch.
• Branches should be less than 2/3 trunk diameter.
• Main branches on shade trees should be spaced
  apart.

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Young quality tree

• Small temporary branches are OK
• Lower branches help the root system and lower
  trunk grow
  
• Protects trunk by forming a barrier to mechanical
  injury.

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Poor quality

• Codominant stems
• Major branches/ trunks touching
• V-shaped crotch
• Included bark

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Conclusions about structure

• Choose trees that have been trained in the
  nursery to have good structure.
  
• Trees with good form at time of planting will
  need maintenance to keep one dominant trunk.
  
• Trees with poor structure will need more severe
  and time-consuming pruning visits.

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Important considerations for selection

• Production method
• Maximum size at planting
• Root ball dimensions
• Root collar location
• Root defects
• Root ball caliper height relationship
• Trunk and branch structure
• Other

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Other factors influencing tree quality

• Trunk injury or broken branches.
• Tree wrap (may be covering up wounds).
• Disease or insect damage.
• Canopy uniformity and fullness.
• Quality of old pruning cuts.
• Seed or propagule source.
• Foliage color and size.
• Presence of stakes.

Trunk injury
Tree wrap
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• Carefully inspect the tree for disease or insect
  damage.

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Canopy uniformity and fullness
Good uniformity and fullness
Poor uniformity and fullness
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Quality of old pruning cuts
Flush cut
Good cut
Callus forming only around sides of flush cut.
Branch collar no longer present.
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Seed or propagule source
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Foliage color and size
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Presence of stakes
Stake
Stake
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Example of a good quality tree

• One dominant trunk
• Branches spaced evenly
• Canopy full and uniform

Visit the website Trees and Hurricanes http//
treesandhurricanes.ifas.ufl.edu

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Thanks to Dr. Ed Gilman, University of Florida,
for his PowerPoint on selecting nursery stock.
http//hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/pruning/index.htm