Potential Replacement Trees

This section contains subjective reviews of most of the trees listed on the City's list for 6-8 ft planting strips, and one each from the 4-6 ft and 8- lists. Where known, I've given the location of a representative specimen.

• The London Plane (Platanus xacerafolia), which are the trees on Marin, Monterey, and many other strees in Berkeley "is considered to be the world's most reliable tree for city planting..." For an example of what a small street looks like with London Planes, visit Mariposa (2nd right off Los Angeles). These trees are on the City's list for 8 ft planting strips.[JC]
  
  
• The Tulip Tree or "Tulip Poplar" (Liriodendron tulipifera) is being widely used in Marin County to replace DED victims. I have to research its watering requirements, and whether it can thrive in our clay/adobe soil, but it sure is beautiful. A mature specimen in a 24" box stands about 25' tall.
  
  Jerry Koch, however, comments "Tulip Poplar trees are not good to plant here because they have a very serious aphid problem. Good examples are the 400+ Tulip Poplar trees on University Ave that we have to spray wash with water every summer so people will not stick to the sidewalk due to the sugar secretions from the aphids."[JC]
  
  
• An excellent example of the evergreen Brazilian Pepper (Schinus Terebinthifolius--no picture), which is on the City's list of trees for 6-8 ft planting strips, is located in a front yard on the east side of Ordway between Marin and Posen. This tree was has been hand-pruned and given lots of TLC by the homeowner, yet has reached a height of only about 20 feet after 15 years. Hardly the fast-growing canopy-producer we're looking for. [JC]
  
  
  
• The Chinese Hackberry Tree (Celtis sinensis), which is on the City's list of trees for 6-8 ft planting strips, is an appealing little tree with a very unattractive name. There are examples in front of and beside the Barnes and Noble bookstore at Shattuck and Durant. These specimens, planted from 15-gallon cans four years ago, now stand approximately 15' tall and are quite gangly, perhaps as result of spring pruning. There is, however, disagreement about its final size. The City lists them as 60' x 40', but other sources are less optimistic, most suggesting around 30-35' in height. The European Hackberry is also on the City's list of trees for 6-8 ft planting strips, and the City also claims it grows to 60' x 40'. It doesn't look that tall to us! [JC, BD]
  
  A more attractive choice is the Common Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), which is not on the city's list but is generally agreed to reach heights of "50' or more.[JC]
  
  
• The Raywood Ash (Fraxinus oxycarpa), which is on the City's list of trees for 6-8 ft planting strips, appears from photos to be a handsome tree reaching 40-50' high and nearly as wide. (From available photos, it is unclear whether the higher parts belong to the specimen or perhaps to eucalyptus trees behind the house.) Sunset Western Garden says they grow "fairly fast" to 25-35 ft and produce no seeds. The Raywood ash shows just how misleading second-hand sources (e.g., books) can be. The parkway beside Alone park on Hearst between Sacramento and Grove (MLK) is intermixed with Camphors and very unimpressive Raywood Ashes. There are numerous other specimens around the city that fail to live up to their press releases.[JC, BD]
  
  
• The Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) is on the City's list of trees for 6-8 ft planting strips.Owners on gardens.rec report a growth rate of 1 1/2 - 2 feet per year in rich soil and plenty of water. The link above shows the tree in its fall clothing. During the spring and summer its leaves are a normal green. Via the news group rec.gardens, John Woodworth of Minnesota offered the following description.[JC]
  
  
  "Quercus rubra is considered one of the fastest growing oaks, especially when young, and given good conditions. A specimen I planted 12 years ago took a couple of years to adjust to its new site, but then it took off at a rate of 2-3 feet a year. Its juvenile shape is conical, so it shoots straight up, but with age, it spreads at the top and appears to slow down. By then, it is a venerable senior. I would say it grows as fast as any shade tree. I have two new babies now. I expect them to overtake the much larger sugar maples I planted nearby. Red Oak prefers acid soil, but they grow fine here in neutral soils. The Red Oak has persistent winter leaves."
  
  
• The Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea--no picture) is on the City's list of trees for 6-8 ft planting strips. Owners on gardens.rec report a growth rate of 1-1 1/2 feet per year in rich soil and plenty of water. Not recommend for Sunset Western Garden Zone 17. The Oaks at the northwest corner of Arch and Vine are Scarlet Oaks. In particular, notice the majestic specimen in the front lawn of 1500 arch. The house was built in 1937 and the tree was probably planted then.The current owner of the house has live there since 1955 and remember the tree as being about 20 ft high at that time.
  
  NOTE: Do not be mislead by the Oak in the garden of the synagogue on Vine. It's not a Scarlet Oak. [JC, BD]
  
  
  
  
• The Cork Oak (Quercus suber), which is on the City's list of trees for 6-8 ft planting strips, is a slow grower. Its inclusion in the list is comical. Note that its a commercial source of cork. Sunset Western Garden says its "Value as a street tree is diminished when children find out how easy it is to carve its bark." Some trivia: the world's largest Cork Oak is in Montijo, Portugal. It is 93' tall and 15' in circumference. At its next harvest, it will have produced 1,000,000 corks since it was first harvested in 1828. It was planted in 1783.[JC]
  
  
• The Thornless Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos inermis) appears from photos to be an attractive choice, but it apparently does not work well as a street tree. The south side of Cedar street between Sacramento and Grove (MLK) is lined with them. They are puny and unsubstantial; in fact, their most common use is in parking lots because their sparseness makes it possible to read signs through them! In Berkeley, they have a history of insect problems. [JC, BD]
  
  
• The Sawleaf Zelkova or Japanese Zelkova (Zelkova serrata), which is on the City's list of trees for 6-8 ft planting strips, is a member of the Ulmaceae. Fears that this species may be susceptible to DED were allayed by plant pathologist Dr. Ned Tisserat who commented by email, "As far as I know, there has never been a report of DED on Hackberry or Zelkova. The chance of these trees getting the disease is zero." Zelkovas are, however, highly susceptible to the elm leaf beetle.
  
  This tree is good-news/bad news. The good news is that it looks like an elm, is shaped rather like an elm, and is a "non-trivial" tree at maturity. One of the largest deciduous trees I've seen in Berkeley is the Zelkova in the courtyard of the First Church of Christ Science (the Maybeck church) on Dwight Way between Bowditch and College. This tree is probably close to 100 years old. Travelling on up Dwight past College, the south side of the first block contains several Zelkovas as street trees--not pretty sights. We found a nice private specimen at 1320 Henry (west side north of Rose). We learned from the owner that this tree predates the construction of the condominium complex in 1974. Based upon the owner's memory of its size at that time, we'd guess it is 25-27 years old. Furthermore, the owner noted that the tree had experienced a big spurt of growth due to the rains in the last two winters. For a tree of this age, this specimen is pretty--but not impressive in stature and certainly doesn't qualify as a replacement for our elms.[JC, BD]