Native Oregon deciduous trees as possible street trees
Trees for use as street trees: “the Pacific Northwest has very few deciduous natives from which to choose”. The Tree Book, Dirr, M.A. and Warren, K.S., 2019, Timber Press, Portland, OR
Dirr and Warren’s assessment of Oregon native, deciduous trees for use as a street tree:
Big Leaf Maple (Acer macrophylla) – look elsewhere, it has been used on streets in its native range, resulted in concrete repair, its rapid growth and massive buttressed trunk causes damage to sidewalks and streets
Cascara (Fangula purshiana) - not a good choice because of its sometimes irregular form; sold as seed-grown, possibly for a “native only” restriction
Douglas Maple (Acer glabrum var. glabrum) – potential in its native range; cultivar development would increase this potential
Netleaf Hackberry (Celtis reticulata) - not accessed (a medium sized tree, drought resistant, leaves susceptible to nipple-gal)
Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana) – sometimes used, although form is quite variable, increasingly planted along roadsides; sold as seed-grown
Pacific Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) – not recommended because of soil and drainage issues, moist acid soils must be sharply drained, soggy soil in summer can kill it
Red Alder (Alnus rubra) – not appropriate, short lived, a bit messy, brittle wood and frequent limb breakage which precludes its use near homes; sold as seed-grown
Vine Maple (Acer circinatum) – no, as it is usually multi-stemmed and even single-stemmed trees tend to be wide, some new upright cultivars may change this