Shade Trees for the Northeast 



area, the climate and other conditions 

 vary so much that not all the recom- 

 mended kinds of shade trees will grow 

 equally well throughout the region. 

 The elevation above sea level, rainfall, 

 the proximity of large bodies of water, 

 river valleys, and other factors modify 

 the natural distribution of plants and 

 affect the growth of shade trees. For 

 best growth, some kinds will be limited 

 to the more northern or to the more 

 southern sections. Some kinds that will 

 grow in the southern border zone of the 

 area may not grow at all in the most 

 northerly parts. Some kinds of shade 

 trees that grow best in New England 

 may do well in the southern Appalach- 

 ians, but very poorly on the Coastal 

 Plain. On the other hand, some pre- 

 dominantly southern species may ex- 

 tend far north along the Atlantic coast. 



THE MAPLES are widely planted as 

 shade trees in the Northeast, but most 

 of the native species are not entirely 

 satisfactory for this purpose. They are 

 short-lived, are subject to windbreak, 

 and require moist, rich soil. 



The Norway maple, introduced from 

 Europe, and our native sugar maple 

 are considered the most satisfactory for 

 streets and lawns. 



Sugar maple is one of the most com- 

 mon and attractive trees throughout 

 the Northeast. It is a large tree, 50 to 

 90 feet in height. When it is grown in 

 the open as a shade tree, it has a short 

 trunk with a broadly egg-shaped or 

 round-topped crown of stout, ascend- 

 ing branches. Horticultural varieties 

 that have a narrow columnar head are 

 especially adapted for planting along 

 narrow streets. The leaves of the sugar 



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maple are thin, bright, rich green, and 

 in the North usually develop in May 

 together with a profusion of yellowish- 

 green flowers, from which bees obtain 

 pollen and nectar. In the autumn the 

 brilliant yellow, orange, and scarlet 

 coloration of its foliage is attractive. 



Sugar maple is readily transplanted, 

 its rate of growth is moderate, and it is 

 relatively long-lived, with a possible 

 life span of more than 100 years. It is 

 injured by city smoke and gas fumes 

 and therefore is not suitable for plant- 

 ing in industrial or congested residen- 

 tial areas. It is valuable, however, on 

 lawns, along suburban streets, or on 

 farmsteads. It attains its best develop- 

 ment when it is grown in well-drained, 

 moist, rich soil, but it will survive in 

 less favorable sites in gravelly soil. It is 

 the source of maple sugar. 



A wilt disease is sometimes serious, 

 and several leaf diseases caused by 

 fungi are common on sugar maple. 

 Brown dead areas in or along the edge 

 of the leaf blade often develop when 

 drying winds or bright sunlight and 

 high temperatures immediately follow 

 a period of moist weather. 



Norway maple is grown extensively 

 from central New England and New 

 York southward. It is usually about 30 

 to 60 feet tall at maturity, with a short 

 trunk and numerous stout, ascending 

 branches that form a low, round, 

 spreading head. The greenish-yellow 

 flowers appear in abundance in April 

 and May before the leaves develop. 

 The leaves are slightly larger than 

 those of the sugar maple, deeper green, 

 and firmer in texture. The dense 

 foliage remains on the tree late in au- 

 tumn and the leaves turn bright yellow 

 before falling. Norway maple is easily 

 transplanted, its rate of growth is mod- 

 erate, and it tolerates a wide range of 

 soil conditions. It stands unfavorable 

 soil and atmospheric conditions in 

 cities and therefore is widely used as a 

 street tree. Its low, dense head, how- 

 ever, requires considerable pruning to 

 adjust it to street conditions, and it is 

 not adapted for planting along narrow 

 streets. 



