# Fastest growing deciduous trees?



## rustyb (May 10, 2003)

My beloved white birch is on its last root and I'm looking for a replacement (or series of) tree. Having a shape similar to the birch would be nice but not critical. My main concern is having the absolute fastest growing tree there is. 

I'm in southern Idaho along the Snake River. Any suggestions?

Thanks.


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## jimmyq (May 11, 2003)

Fastest growing, my suggestion for fast growing deciduous would be London Plane but the shape is different from the Birch for certain. A nice replacement might be a Katsura tree, Cercidipyhllum japonicum.


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## John Paul Sanborn (May 11, 2003)

If you want the fastest growing thenb get a hybrid poplar, not the longest lived though.

There is a natural hybrid of Swamp white and bur oak that grows up to 24 inches a year in optimal conditions, 18 is common. Many nurseries are carrying it now, some call it a "swamp bur", hwo imaginative.

Make sure it has the bicolor leaves, coarky twigs and will have the mossy-cupped acorn.


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## underwor (May 11, 2003)

The only tree that grows faster than a Cottonwood is a second growth redwood. Just don't plant it too close to anything I might fall on. 

Bob Underwood


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## John Paul Sanborn (May 11, 2003)

Bob, these hybrid boplar were developed so that you can get pulp sticks in 8 years for the first harvest and the 5-6 from the coppice after that.


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## rustyb (May 14, 2003)

*Thanks everyone.*

What a great resourse this site is!

rusty


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## ROLLACOSTA (Apr 28, 2004)

> _Originally posted by rustyb _
> l. My main concern is having the absolute fastest growing tree there is.
> 
> [/B]



hi there now thats a shame as most fast growing trees are poop and are not long lived ..some famous chappy from my part of the world wrote ' those who plant trees love others more than themselves' why not plant a tree for the long term not some quick growing hybrid/mutant..make a statement plant something bold or rare :angel:


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## Elmore (Apr 28, 2004)

*The tree to plant*

I agree with Rollacosta. Plant a Ginkgo. Several varieties available. Uprights,dwarfs, unusual features, semi-dwarf, and fastigiate. What is your zone? Dawn Redwood is fast and Bald Cypress, although not as rapid growing, is a strong tree.


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## Guy Meilleur (Apr 28, 2004)

Pterocarya stenoptera, Chinese wingnut, 4-6'/yr, if it's hardy there. I've planted hybrid poplars; they have their place. the idaho dfr or the usfs office there will give more local ideas than us.


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## Elmore (Apr 28, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Guy Meilleur _
> *Pterocarya stenoptera, Chinese wingnut, 4-6'/yr, if it's hardy there. I've planted hybrid poplars; they have their place. the idaho dfr or the usfs office there will give more local ideas than us. *



Hey Guy. I'm growing a few of those. They take a lot of foot traffic, don't they? At first I was told that they were Caucasian Wingnut. It made for some humor with some black folks asking me what I was picking from the seed tree. Planting some Chinese doesn't have the same ring. I have been told recently that it was not Caucasian Wingnut, Pterocarya fraxinifolia, but Pterocarya stenoptera, Chinese Wingnut. The tree that I got seed from came from seed gathered from the mother of mother trees, located at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, KY. It's a huge specimen. (see attachment)


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## Guy Meilleur (Apr 28, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Elmore _
> * They take a lot of foot traffic, don't they? *


Nice picture, thanks. The two that grew in our arb had major surface roots in our heavy clay soil. I thought it was similar in AL, but I saw none in your pic. Weediness is also a concern as seedlings came up everywhere. Easy propagation 

"Seed tree" is a good common name, as those panicles of samaras in early summer are highly ornamental imo.
There is also a P tonkinensis, tighter form.


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## arboromega (May 2, 2004)

what ever you plant make sure it is native to your area. the importance of doing this is often overlooked.


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## Guy Meilleur (May 3, 2004)

> _Originally posted by arboromega _
> *what ever you plant make sure it is native to your area. the importance of doing this is often overlooked. *


And it is often overstated too. "Native" does not mean "well-adapted"; many nonnatives are good choices too.


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## arboromega (May 4, 2004)

how so?


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## Guy Meilleur (May 5, 2004)

*how so?*

Many natives will struggle in the wrong microclimate, many exotics adapt well to a range of conditions. Some too well, but the point is that "Native' is an arbitrary term, usually a description of what was there when Euro-Americans came upon the scene.

But ginkgoes are really "native' to NC; fossil records show they were here until the Ice Age. If we focus on adaptability without invasiveness we will have a healthier, more diverse environment.


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## arboromega (May 8, 2004)

fair enough, it is the invasiveness i am concerned with (ex. alanthus) and you mentioned it. as long as it is non invasive i completely agree with you, guy.


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