We may be in the middle of winter, but we are already looking ahead to spring. Now is the time to begin planning your spring tree planting plan and we can help you.
Native tree species are a great option for your spring landscaping projects. We encourage you to consider a native trees, many of which are lookalikes to non-native trees to better protect and enhance your property’s environmental health.
We’ve made selecting the right tree for your property is easy. Let’s take a closer look at some non-native and native trees with similarities.
Spring Planting: Choosing Non-native or Native Trees
Non-native Norway Maple
The Norway maple (Acer platanoides) is a popular Ontario street tree, native to Europe and western Asia. Its dense shade, prolific seeding and resistance to pests allow it to dominate forests, depriving other plant life of vital resources like sunlight, water and nutrients.
You can identify Norway maple by these features:
• Straight trunk, six to 22 metres tall
• Smooth and grey young bark
• Older grey-brown bark forms intersecting diamond ridges
• Five to seven points on leaves
• White sap
Native Sugar Maple
Native sugar maples (Acer saccharum) are often mistaken for Norway maples. In fact, the leaf of the five-dollar Canadian bill was remarked to look more like the Norway maple than the intended sugar maple leaf.
You can identify sugar maple by these features:
• Straight trunk, up to 35 metres tall
• Smooth and grey young bark
• Older grey-brown bark forms irregular ridges
• Five or sometimes three-point leaves
• Clear, white sap
Non-native Scots Pine
Scots pine has a long history in Ontario, both as an erosion control tool and as a former popular Christmas tree.
Despite naturalization, meaning a species that is non-native which can establish themselves and reproduce without causing significant harm to the environment, Scots pines’ aggressive seedlings out-compete native wildflowers, grasses and trees. Scots pine can also harbour pests and diseases harmful to valuable tree species.
You can identify Scots pine by these features:
• Grows up to 35 metres tall
• Lower trunk has thick, scaly, dark grey-brown bark. Upper trunk has flaky orange-brown bark
• Dull greyish blue-green needles turn dark green to dark yellow green in winter
• Needles are two and a half to five centimetres long
• Needles grow in bunches of two
• Pinecones are globe-shaped on young trees and pointed on mature trees
Native White Pine
Though many pines look similar, the Scots pine most closely resembles the native red and white pines. We offer both native pine trees through our planting programs.
You can identify white pine by these features:
• Grows up to 40 metres tall
• Young trees have greyish-green bark. Mature trees have dark-greyish-brown bark with deep, thick wide ridges
• Dark blue-green, flexible needles that grow from six to 12 centimetres long
• Needles grow in bunches of five
• Long cylindrical pinecones are often encrusted with a white sticky resin and have thick rounded scales
Plan Your Spring Planting
Our planting programs will help you plant native lookalikes and more on your property. We’ll provide you with a variety of materials and services to ensure your trees grow healthy.
We will create a planting plan, specific to your land, that considers soil type, moisture conditions, surrounding plants, light availability and your objectives. Book your spring tree planting with us and get a free site visit with one of our specialists.
Ask us how you might be eligible for extra funding.
Get started today and get ahead of your spring to-do list!
By Eva Thorpe, Technician, Environmental Outreach and Communications