Tree species list - tolerance to stresses
Information on tolerance to stresses for several trees that can be used in tree trenches/tree boxes. NOTE: this list is not exhaustive and could include dozens of additional species.
Link to this table
| Scientific name1,2,3,4 | Common name 1,2,3,4 | Minimum zone hardiness 2 | Demonstrated tolerance to urban stresses 4 | Tolerance to soil tecture conditions (C=coars, M=medium, F=fine) 3 | Salt tolerance 2,3 | Stress tolerance (A=anaerobic, L=alklai, V=vehicle exhaust, D=drought)3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acer x freemanii 2 | Freeman maple | 4 | Yes | |||
| Acer rubrum 2 | Red maple | 3b | Yes | CMF | no | ALD |
| Acer saccharinum 1,2 | Silver maple | 3b | Yes | CMF | Limited | AL |
| Acer saccharum 1,2 | Sugar maple | 3b | CM | No | LD | |
| Alnus glutinosa 2 | European alder | 4a | CMF | Yes | D | |
| Alnus incana ssp. rugosa 1,2 | Speckled alder | 3 | CMF | A | ||
| Amelanchier spp. 2 | Juneberry/serviceberry | 3b | CMF | No | L | |
| Betula nigra 'Cully' & ' BNMFT' 1,2 | Heritage and Dura-Heat river birch | 4a | Yes | CMF | No | A |
| Betula populifolia 2 | Gray birch | 3 | CMF | Limited | LD | |
| Carpinus betulus 2 | European hornbeam | 4 | Yes | CM | No | |
| Carpinus caroliniana 2 | American hornbeam | 3b | CM | No | ||
| Carya ovata 2 | Shagbark hickory | 3 | CMF | Limited | L | |
| Catalpa speciosa 2 | Narthern catalpa | 4a | Yes | CM | Limited | D |
| Celtis occidentalis 2 | Common hackberry | 2a | Yes | CMF | Limited | ALD |
| Cercis canadensis 2 | Eastern redbud | 4b | MF | Limited | D | |
| Cladrastus kentukea 2 | Yellowood, Kentucky yellowood | 4b | CM | No | L | |
| Crataegus crus-galli var. inermis 2 | Thornless cockspur hawthorn | 4a | Yes | CMF | Yes | LD |
| Crataegus phaenopyrum 2 | Washington hawthorn | 4a | Yes | MF | Limited | D |
| Fraxinus americana 2 | White ash | 4a | CM | Yes | L | |
| Fraxinus mandshurica | manchrian ash | 2b | CM | L | ||
| Fraxinus nigra 1 | Black ash | 3 | CM | No | L | |
| Fraxinus pennsylvanica 1,2 | Green ash | 2 | Yes | CMF | Yes | ALD |
| Gingko biloba 2 | Gingko – male only | 4b | Yes | CM | Yes | |
| Gleditsia tricanthos var. inermis 2 | Thornless common honeylocust | 3b | Yes | MF | Yes | LD |
| Gymnocladus dioicus 2 | Kentucky coffeetree | 4a | CMF | Limited | D | |
| Larix decidua 3 | European larch | 3 | CM | No | ||
| Larix laricina 1 | Tamarack | 1 | CM | No | ||
| Maackia amurensis 2 | Amur maackia | 4a | Yes | AD | ||
| Malus spp. 2 | Crabapple spp. | 4 | CM | Yes | LD | |
| Ostrya virginiana 2 | American hophornbeam, ironwood | 3b | CMF | No | LD | |
| Phellodendron amurense 2 | Amur corktree | 4a | ALD | |||
| Populus grandidentata Michx. 2 | Bigtooth aspen | 1 | CM | Limited | L | |
| Populus deltoides 1,2 | Eastern cottonwood | 3 | CMF | Limited | ALD | |
| Populus tremuloides 1,1 | Quacking aspen | 1 | CMF | Limited | L | |
| Prunus sargentii 2 | Sargent cherry | 4b | Yes | CM | Yes | |
| Prunus virginiana 2 | Chokecherry | 2 | CMF | Limited | ALD | |
| Pyrus fauriei 'Westwood' 2 | Korean SunTM pear | 4 | Yes | CMF | Limited | D |
| Pyrus ussuriensis 2 | Ussurian pear, Chinese pear | 4 | Yes | M | No | D |
| Quercus bicolor 2 | Swamp white oak | 4 | Yes | CMF | No | A |
| Quercus macropcarpa 2 | Burr oak | 3a | Yes | CMF | No | LD |
| Quercus rubra 2 | Red oak | 3b | Yes | CMF | Yes | |
| Robinia pseudoacacia 2 | Black locust, false acacia, robinia | 4 | CMF | Yes | LD | |
| Salix nigra 1 | Black willow | 3 | CMF | No | A | |
| Salix babylonica | Weeping or Babylon willow | 2 | CMF | Yes | ||
| Sorbus americana 3 | American mountainash | 4 | CMF | No | ||
| Sorbus alnifolia 2 | Korean mountainash | 4b | M | |||
| Sorbus x hybrida, Sorbus x thuringiaca 2 | Oak-leaf mountainash | 3b | ||||
| Syringa reticulata 2 | Japanese tree lilac | 3a | Yes | |||
| Taxodium distichum 2 | Common baldcypress | 4 | Yes | CMF | Yes | A |
| Tilia americana 2 | Basswood | 3a | Yes | CM | No | |
| Tilia cordata 2 | Littleleaf linden | 4 | Yes | CM | No | D |
| Tilia x euchlora 2 | Crimean linden, Caucasian lime | 4 | Yes | M | No | |
| Ulmus x species 2 | Elm hybrids | 3b | Yes | CMF | Yes |
1 Shaw, D. and R. Schmidt. 2003. Plants for Stormwater Design: Species Selection for the Upper Midwest. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
2 Bassuk, N. et al. 2009. Recommended Urban Trees: Site Assessment and Tree Selection for Stress Tolerance. Urban Horticulture Institute, Dept of Horticulture, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
3 USDA NRCS Plants Database. www.usda.plants.gov
4 Dirr, M.. 1998. Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 5th Ed.. Timber Press, Inc. Portland, OR.