We’ve selected potential trees species of all sizes and types for you to plant in your yard. The list is here:
-> This document will be updated periodically. Last updated: November 2020.
Maynard Tree Corps List – October 2020
Background and Philosophy:
Our goal is to preserve, grow, and diversify Maynard’s tree canopy. Diversifying the canopy composition out to make it more resilient to the challenges of being a tree in a built environment from now and into the future. With this in mind, the basic tenets in the development of candidate trees for Maynard is diversity, diversity, and native diversity of the eastern US.
Tree species that have evolved in eastern North America are good hosts and habitat for fauna from the same region. Additionally, trees that have evolved in this region have been proved to live well over 100 years, and, not too uncommonly, 300 years or more. There is a lot to learn about the longevity of horticulturally-derived tree species, but a notable example is the Bradford pear. It grows fast and profusely flowers, but seldom lives more than 15-20 years. In highly built environments, longevity might be less of a concern. But, for your yard, a tree that has learned to last makes your time and money a better investment.
Finally, as climate change is upon us and not abating anytime soon, we tend to choose more southerly trees and, sadly, avoid more of the northern species that we cherish and love. An arborist managing NYC’s High Line park suggests that we go by the “30/20/10 rule.” The goal of that rule is that no more than 30% of the species should be of the same family, 20% of the same genera, and 10% of the same species.
The arguments behind favoring trees that evolved in eastern North America are this:
1) Pests & Pathogens: more immediate and perhaps more threatening to our trees is the importation of many pests and pathogens each and every day through the limited inspections of materials used for trade with other nations. There are likely some already here that will erupt in the coming decade. Hemlock woolly adelgid, for example, was in the eastern US by the 1950s before it erupted in the 1990s. We’d argue the diversity argument is key here. (You can learn more and be proactive on invasive pests & pathogens here: https://www.caryinstitute.org/science/tree-smart-trade)
2) Aesthetics: each species brings a different, shape, color, and texture to the landscape. And, those characteristics not only change with the seasons, they change at different times within each of our seasons. Diversity, then, ups the variation in our landscape through time and over space.
3) Climate Change: we do not know who will be better adapted to the coming change in climate. Leaning heavily on one species could prove to be prophetic, or a disaster, depending. Enhancing diversity would put fewer eggs in one basket, potentially reducing the potential negative impacts of climatic change.
4) For Diversity’s Sake: different animals prefer different host/habitat species, but a particular species likely gains additional places to live and thrive when there are more than a few species over the course of a year.
We encourage you to browse the entire list, seek what species are common in your neighborhood, and find something new for your neck of Maynard’s woods from this list. You can learn about the most common street trees in Maynard here: https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/dpw-forestry-management-plan-20200722.pdf?v=2 – this survey was completed in 2020.
Please reach out to us for any questions you have: maynardtreecorps@gmail.com
Maynard Tree Corps 