Redbud (Cercis canadensis)

A deciduous tree from the Bean Family (Fabaceae)
Redbud, also known as Eastern Redbud or Judas Tree, is abundant in the southern two-thirds of Ohio, with scattered distribution in the northern one-third of the state . It heralds the arrival of spring with its showy, lavendar-pink flowers that typically open in April, long before the foliage emerges. Redbud is a native of the entire eastern half of the United States (except for New England), but is not found in Canada, as its scientific name implies. This ornamental tree is rapidly growing and usually multitrunked in the wild, having a vase shape with a rounded crown that reaches about 20 feet tall and 20 feet wide at maturity, when found in the open. However, since it is often located at the edge of woodlands, it commonly has a leaning growth habit, trying to grow into as much sunlight as possible.

As a member of the Bean Family, Redbud is also related to Honeylocust, Kentucky Coffeetree, Black Locust, and Wisteria, as well as other types of Redbuds. The Bean Family is also known as the Legume, Pea, or Pulse Family, and may go by the alternative scientific family name of Leguminosae. Many of this family's members are important vegetable crops as well as ornamental plants.

Planting Requirements - Redbud prefers deep, moist, organic, well-drained soils, but adapts to many less-than-favorable soils of either acidic or alkaline pH as long as they are not wet. It grows most rapidly and flowers most prolifically in full sun if adequate moisture is available during the heat of summer, but it is often found in partial sun to partial shade in nature. It can grow in zones 4 to 9, but occurs naturally in zones 5 to 9.

Potential Problems - Redbud grows rapidly and often lives about twenty years before it begins to decline or die, especially in urban situations where poorly drained, heavy clay soils predominate. Trunk canker is a serious disease of Redbud, and is evident as sunken depressions in the bark of large branches or trunks, which often begin to heal before the tree eventually dies. Verticillium wilt and root rot are two additional, serious pathogens that affect the roots (often due to wet soils) but become evident as entire branches rapidly die. Some pests (such as scales) may also cause problems, but the tree diseases sited above wreak havoc on Redbud and limit its lifespan.

The Redbud is one of 8 tree seedlings which will be offered in the 2012 Tree Sale held by the Guernsey Soil & Water Conservation District. Other seedlings include white pine, red pine, black walnut, sawtooth oak, American plum, sugar maple, and flowering dogwood. The district will also offer 2 varieties of blueberry, a red raspberry, and a gold raspberry. For more information and to print an order blank, please click on the Tree Sale icon above.

2 Workshops scheduled for March

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

Black Walnut, a rapidly growing tree common in all of Ohio, is most common in moist bottomlands and open fields, but is found everywhere due to squirrels burying its nuts. Its beautiful, fine-grained, chocolate-brown, relatively lightweight heartwood is the ultimate choice for making solid wood furniture, interior trim, gunstocks, and high-quality veneer. The large nut contained beneath the husks of Black Walnut is round and can be cracked open to expose the bittersweet, oily, and highly nutritious kernel.

A native of the Eastern, Midwestern, and Great Plains regions of the United States, Black Walnut is a pioneer invader tree in open fields or cut-over woodlots, and grows rapidly in youth. It displays an irregular and open growth habit when young, dividing into several spreading branches that give it an upright rounded shape as it matures. Its bold winter texture makes it an outstanding tree to observe during the dormant season. This tree may easily grow to 70 feet tall by 70 feet wide when it is found in the open. As a member of the Walnut Family, it is related to other Walnuts and to the Hickories.

Planting Requirements - Black Walnut prefers deep, moist, rich, well-drained soils under sunny conditions, especially the bottomlands of rivers and streams. It also tolerates relatively dry, poor soils, but with a significantly reduced growth rate. Seedlings and saplings are notorious for having a single, very deep taproot that makes transplanting difficult. Black Walnut grows in full sun to partial sun, and is found in zones 4 to 9.

Potential Problems - Aside from leaf spot, Black Walnut is virtually disease and pest free. However, it is famous for the production by its roots of juglone, a chemical that is toxic to some nearby competitor plants. In a woodland setting, very few plants grow under the canopy of this species. When summer drought occurs, the response of this tree is to begin dropping leaves, in spite of its deep taproot system. In an urban setting, a constant rain of leaflets, rachises, dead twigs, stain-laden whole fruits, and debris from squirrel feeding occurs from mid-summer until late autumn, presenting a constant clean-up chore and mowing hazard.

The Black Walnut is one of 8 tree seedlings which will be offered in the 2012 Tree Sale held by the Guernsey Soil & Water Conservation District. Other seedlings include white pine, red pine, sugar maple, sawtooth oak, American plum, redbud, and flowering dogwood. The district will also offer 2 varieties of blueberry, a red raspberry, and a gold raspberry. For more information and to print an order blank, click on the Tree Sale icon above.

Red Pine (Pinus resinosa)

Red Pine, an evergreen conifer, has its natural range in the northeastern United States and southern Canada. However, it is used extensively in Ohio as a reforestation pine tree that is valued for its lumber and pulpwood. While native to North America, it is also known as Norway Pine, as the early settlers of New England mistook it for Norway Spruce. In addition, it grew in abundance near the town of Norway, Maine.

The winter buds of Red Pine are rather resinous, as is its resin-retentive lumber, and this trait is reflected in the scientific name of this species (Pinus resinosa). Red Pine grows to 50 feet tall by 30 feet wide under Ohio conditions, with a medium growth rate. Its shape is upright oval in youth, becoming more spreading but still symmetrical with age. Its common name comes from the fact that its young scaly bark is a distinct orange-red, while its mature platy bark is more red-brown. As a member of the Pine Family, it is related to other Pines as well as the Firs, Larches, Spruces, and Hemlocks.

Planting Requirements - Red Pine prefers soils that are poor, sterile, acidic, and dry, especially those that are sandy and gravelly, and therefore very well-drained. However, it does not like salt spray to its foliage, or salt deposition in its soil. It grows in zones 2 to 5, preferring regions that have cold climates in winter and cool climates in summer. It makes an excellent reforestation tree in the colder areas of Ohio, where cut-over or barren land in exposed sites needs quick coverage.

Potential Problems - While the pines in general are susceptible to a variety of insects and diseases, Red Pine is relatively trouble-free. It displays a stunted growth habit when it is sited in heavy or occasionally wet soils, due to poor water drainage. The insect known as red pine scale also favors this pine, sucking the juice from its stems. Finally, it is susceptible to salt spray and salt deposition damage when it is sited near roadways that are salted in winter.

The Red Pine is one of 8 tree seedlings which will be offered in the 2012 Tree Sale held by the Guernsey Soil & Water Conservation District. Other seedlings include white pine, black walnut, sugar maple, sawtooth oak, American plum, redbud, and flowering dogwood. The district will also offer 2 varieties of blueberry, a red raspberry, and a gold raspberry. For more information and to print an order blank, please click on the tree sale link above.

Sawtooth Oak (Quercus acutissima)

A deciduous tree from the Beech Family (Fagaceae)
Sawtooth Oak, native to Japan, China, and Korea, is a species introduced because of its rapid establishment and heavy fruit production at an early age, serving as an important source of food in late summer and throughout autumn for wildlife. If kept fertilized and free of competing weeds, these trees begin to produce acorns when they are 6-8 years old, and maturing trees are capable of producing over 1000 pounds of nuts each year.

The “Gobbler” variety yields about 150 acorns per pound. Large birds (crows, bluejays, turkeys), squirrels, deer, raccoons, opossums, and other mammals love the large, abundant crops of acorns, which are borne heavily every other year, if not every year. This Oak is easy to identify by its pyramidal shape in youth, striated young bark, retained winter foliage, acorns with frilled caps, and finely serrated leaves (from which it gets its common name). It is planted throughout most of Ohio, and may reach 60 feet tall by 60 feet wide at maturity, when found in the open. As a member of the Red Oak group and the Beech Family, it is related to the Beeches, Chestnuts, and other Oaks.

Planting Requirements - Sawtooth Oak prefers moist, well-drained, acidic soils of moderate fertility, but adapts well to relatively poor, dry soils of neutral or slightly alkaline pH. It thrives in full sun to partial sun (but is shade tolerant in youth) and is grown in zones 5 to 9.
Potential Problems - Sawtooth Oak is basically disease and pest free, which is somewhat remarkable for an introduced species. In very high pH soils, it develops chlorotic leaves. This oak tends to retain its spreading lower branches more so as compared to other Oaks, so limbing up in urban situations will be necessary at a fairly young age.

The Sawtooth Oak is one of 8 tree seedlings which will be offered in the 2012 Tree Sale held by the Guernsey Soil & Water Conservation District. Other seedlings include white pine, red pine, black walnut, sugar maple, American plum, redbud, and flowering dogwood. The district will also offer 2 varieties of blueberry, a red raspberry, and a gold raspberry. For more information and to print an order blank, please click on the Tree Sale icon above.

Don't forget the Maple Syrup clinic Saturday AM

Don't forget to attend the Maple Syrup clinic. You can get all the info on it by clicking on the education page above. There is no charge, but we do need you to call and sign up so we know how many people are coming. Come dressed for the weather; part of the clinic will be in the woods looking at the collection set up. The rest of the time, there is a heated building with seating provided, and a warm lunch will be served at the end of the presentations.

White Pine (Pinus strobus)

An evergreen tree from the Pine Family (Pinaceae)
White Pine, an evergreen conifer, is today widely distributed throughout eastern North America, including all of Ohio. It was originally confined to Appalachia, New England, and southern Canada at the time of European settlement, and occurred primarily in northeastern Ohio. Today, it is logged for the production of lumber, creosote-soaked telephone poles, and as pulp for the production of paper. White Pine is commonly transplanted today as a landscape evergreen tree, and is also sold as a cut Christmas tree.

Also known as Eastern White Pine, this towering evergreen easily grows to 80 feet tall by 40 feet wide (or larger) under optimum conditions, with a rapid growth rate. Its shape is upright pyramidal when young, but becomes irregular with maturity. The very straight trunk of White Pine is punctuated by a whorl of lateral branches every one to two feet, and from this sequential arrangement, a close approximation of the age of the tree can be determined (simply count the number of whorls from bottom to top). As a member of the Pine Family, it is related to other Pines as well as the Firs, Larches, Spruces, and Hemlocks.

Planting Requirements - White Pine performs best in evenly moist, rich, well-drained, acidic soils in full sun. It is often intolerant of soils that are alkaline in pH and poorly drained; therefore, the heavy clay soils of much of central and western Ohio cause it to struggle in parts of this region, while it often thrives in eastern Ohio. Needle chlorosis (yellowing) and stunted growth are prime symptoms of a soil-related problem. Its rapid growth rate allows for a quick result in terms of a harvestable timber tree, a mature landscape tree, or as a cut Christmas tree. It grows in zones 3 to 8.

Potential Problems - In spite of thriving in many natural settings, White Pine is very susceptible in urban settings to alkaline soil pH (causing chlorosis, resulting in yellowing of the needles and stunting of growth), winter salt spray, air pollution, compacted clay soils, and poor water drainage. Young transplants and saplings are also subject to deer and rabbit browsing in any setting. White Pine suffers from white pine blister rust, a fungus that attacks the inner bark. This primary disease can be controlled by removing all gooseberry and alpine currant shrubs within a quarter mile of the tree, since they serve as alternate hosts. White Pine is also attacked by the white pine weevil, which bores into the terminal shoots and distorts the growth of the upper canopy. This primary pest may severely impact mass plantings, such as those that occur in pure forests stands, nursery plantations, and Christmas tree farms.

The White Pine is one of 8 tree seedlings which will be offered in the 2012 Tree Sale held by the Guernsey Soil & Water Conservation District. Other seedlings include red pine, black walnut, sawtooth oak, sugar maple, American plum, redbud, and flowering dogwood. The district will also offer 2 varieties of blueberry, a red raspberry, and a gold raspberry. For more information and to print an order blank, please click on the Tree Sale icon above.