Earth Day Tree Care Instructions

Size and shape

What you need to know to grow red maple

• Moisture: grows best in wet soils, but tolerates some drought.
• Soil: grows in acidic, loamy, sandy, silty and clay soils.
• Shade: grows best in full sun.

Caution:

• Red maples can be weak and are prone to cracking bark and overcrowding branches.
• Trees are susceptible to damage during storms. Light pruning can help protect the tree.

Wildlife benefits

• Red maple keys are a food source for squirrels and other rodents. The shoots and leaves are eaten by white-tailed deer and rabbits.

Fun facts about red maple

• Red maple trees live up to 100 years.
• Red maple sap can be used to make maple syrup.

Size and shape

What you need to know to grow bur oak

• Moisture: tolerates a wide variety of moisture conditions.
• Soil: grows in a variety of soils.
• Shade: grows best in full sun but tolerates moderate shade.

Cautions:

• Space: bur oaks have deep roots, so avoid planting near underground pipes.
• Disease: oak wilt is caused by an invasive fungus that has been found in Southern Ontario. To minimize the risk of oak wilt, save pruning for before April and after July, when beetles thought to transport the fungus are less active.

Wildlife benefits

• Bur oak acorns are a food source for many mammals, including: bears, squirrels, livestock, rabbits.
• Bur oak trees also provide habitat for birds and browse for deer.

Fun facts about Bur oak

• Bur oaks have very thick bark that helps them survive forest fires.
• Their deep roots help them tolerate drought.

Size and shape

What you need to know to grow sycamore

• Moisture: grows best in moist soils and tolerates seasonal flooding.
• Soil: grows best in rich soils and tolerates heavy clay.
• Shade: can grow in part shade or full sun.

Cautions:

Boot system: Like many willow species, sycamore has a shallow, fibrous root system that can get into septic beds and sewage pipes as it searches for water

size: Give sycamore trees plenty of space to grow as they can be one of the largest (height and width) broadleaf trees in eastern North America, especially on rich floodplains

Wildlife benefits

• Sycamore is not a major food source for wildlife, although some birds eat the seeds. Sycamore trees also provide habitat and shade.

Fun facts about sycamore

• Ontario’s largest recorded sycamore tree, near Alvinston, was 263 centimetres in diameter at breast height.

Size and shape

• Reaches 20 to 30 metres high.
• Thick trunk (up to 30 to 90 centimetres in diameter).

What you need to know to grow red oak

• Moisture: tolerates a variety of moisture levels.
• Soil: grows in a variety of soils.
• Shade: grows best in full sun but can tolerate some shade.

Cautions:

• Space: Red oak needs room to grow. It will not grow well if near other trees.
• Disease: Oak wilt is caused by an invasive fungus that has been found in Southern Ontario. To minimize the risk of oak wilt, save pruning for before April and after July, when beetles thought to transport the fungus are less active.

Wildlife benefits

• Red oak leaves, stems and acorns provide food for various mammals, including deer, squirrels and black bears.
• Red oak also provides nesting habitat and a food source for many bird species, including turkeys, woodpeckers and grouse

Fun facts about red oak

• Red oak trunks can sometimes reach more than 120 centimetres in diameter.
• Sometimes dead leaves stay on oak trees, even in the winter.

Size and shape

• Large, fast-growing tree.
• Reaches 25 to 35 metres in height.
• Trunk reaches 50 to 160 centimetres in diameter.

What you need to know to grow tulip trees

• Moisture: need a lot of moisture during summer.
• Soil: grow best in sand and sandy loam.
• Shade: need full sun.

Cautions: 

• Tulip trees need deep, rich, moist soil.
• They are fast-growing with roots that grow deep and spread widely.

Wildlife benefits

• Tulip tree seeds are a food source for birds and small mammals

Fun facts about tulip trees

• Tulip trees are named for their tulip-shaped flowers.
• Tulip trees begin flowering after they are 15 years old.
• This species is fast-growing and, under ideal conditions, long-lived.

Size and shape

What you need to know to grow white spruce

• Moisture: tolerates a range of moisture levels.
• Soil: can grow in almost any soil type.
• Shade: tolerates shade.

Caution:

• White spruce is sensitive to frost damage when young and should be planted in a protected area.

Wildlife benefits

• Bark, branches, buds and seeds are food for deer, rabbits, porcupines, birds, and small rodents.

Fun facts about white spruce

• White spruce usually lives between 250 and 350 years but trees up to 1,000 years have been documented.
• White and black spruce are difficult to tell apart, but white spruce has larger cones and longer needles than black spruce.

Size and shape

What you need to know to grow eastern white pine

• Moisture: tolerates different moisture levels.
• Soil: grows best in sand or sandy loam but will grow in any soil type.
• Shade: grows best in full sun but young trees can tolerate some shade.

Note: eastern white pine trees grow quickly and are ideal for blocking unsightly views or creating shade for your house.

Caution:

• Eastern white pine can become lopsided in areas with high wind exposure.

Wildlife benefits

• Eastern white pine seeds are a food source for several songbird and small mammal species, including black-capped chickadees, pine warblers, squirrels and mice.
• Eastern white pine also provides valuable nesting habitat and shelter.

Fun facts about eastern white pine

• Eastern white pine is the provincial tree of Ontario.
• In colonial times, these tall trees were used to make masts for British Royal Navy ships

Size and shape

What you need to know to grow white birch

Wildlife benefits

• Buds, leaves and seeds from white birch are a food source for birds and animals.

Fun facts about white birch

• Peeling off too much white birch bark can kill the tree.
• White birch are often used in landscaping because they will grow almost anywhere given enough sunlight

Size and shape

What you need to know to grow redbuds

Wildlife benefits

Fun facts about Eastern Redbud

Size and shape

What you need to know to grow serviceberries

• Moisture: moist to dry soil.
• Soil: adaptable to all but waterlogged sites.
• Shade: partial shade to full sun.

Wildlife benefits

Fun facts about serviceberries

• Service Berries transplant easily due to their fibrous root systems.