Urban Trees for a Changing Climate

In this webinar, presented live on April 19, 2021, we learned about the impacts of climate change on urban canopies and which tree species might be best suited.

Agenda: 

9:00: Welcome & Introduction

9:05​-9:20: Random Networking (removed from video recording)

9:20​-9:40​ - Emma Schultz, Community Forest Project Specialist, DNR

9:40​-10:00​ - Leslie Brandt, Climate Change Specialist, USDA Forestry Service

10:00​-10:15​ - Q&A

10:15​-10:25​ - Jen Kullgren, Urban Forester, Hennepin County

10:25​-10:35​ - Jeff Habermen, City Forester, City of Rochester

10:35​-10:45​ - Mary Groeninger, Friends of Trees of Ely

10:45​-11:00​ - Q&A

11:00​ - conclusion

View the webinar recording

View the PowerPoints and additional materials     

  

• GreenStep Best Practice Actions: 
• 10.5 – Conservation easements 
• 10.6 – Conservation codes/ordinances 
• 16.1 – Tree City USA 
• 16.2 – BPs for urban tree planting/quality 
• 16.3 – Tree budgets/goals 
• 16.4 – Urban tree planting 
• 16.5 – Native Landscaping Ordinance 
• 16.6 – Protect existing trees 
• 17.5 – Stormwater infiltration BPs 
• 18.8 – Involve community members 
• 27.1 – Working landscapes 
• 27.3 – Local food production 
• 29.6 – Reduce urban heat impacts 
• Tree Selection: 
• Best Native Yard Trees for Our Changing Climate, DNR 2020
• Plant Selector, MnDOT 
• Recommended Trees for Minnesota, UoM Extension 2018
• Trees Likely to Thrive in Minnesota Changing Climate, DNR 2014
• Hennepin County Recommended Tree List, Hennepin County 2021
• Tree Troubles, DNR 
• Native street tree options:
• ‘Princeton’ and ‘Valley Forge’ American elm cultivars
• Basswood/American linden
• Black cherry (intolerant of salt spray) (if mess is less of a concern/wider boulevards)
• Black walnut (if mess is less of a concern/wider boulevards)
• Bur oak, swamp white oak/bicolor oak, white oak (more oak wilt resistant than red oaks)
• Hackberry
• Honeylocust (thornless variety)
• River birch
• Shagbark hickory or bitternut hickory (if mess is less of a concern/wider boulevards)
• Kentucky coffeetree (if mess is less of a concern/wider boulevards)
• Small stature trees- for use under utility lines or in areas with limited space:
• Allegheny or downy serviceberry (downy serviceberry is moderately salt tolerant) (yellow/orange/red fall color) 
• Mountain ash (tolerant of salt spray) (yellow fall color)
• American hornbeam/blue beech (moderately salt tolerant) (yellow/orange/maroon fall color)
• Nannyberry viburnum (moderately salt tolerant) (red/maroon fall color)
• Hawthorn (salt intolerant) (downy hawthorn has a yellow/red fall color)
• Pagoda/alternateleaf dogwood (salt intolerant) (maroon fall color)
• Regionally-native trees to try (especially in southern/SE Minnesota):
• Eastern redbud
• American sycamore
• Shellbark hickory
• Mockernut hickory
• Pignut hickory
• Ohio buckeye
• Post oak
• Northern catalpa
• Climate Change:
• Climate Change Projections for Tree Species in the Northwoods (MN, WI, MI), NIACS
• Urban Forest Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessments, NIACS 
• Adaptation Strategies and Approaches, NIACS 
• Trainings
• Climate & Health Action Guide, Vibrant Cities Lab
• Preparing Urban Forests in the Twin Cities for Climate Change, US Forest Service/NIACS 2016
• Climate Change Field Guide for Northern Minnesota Forests, University of Minnesota 2017
• Minnesota Forest Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment and Synthesis, USDA 2014
• Tree Care:
• Woodlands of Minnesota Landowners Handbook, DNR 
• Planting Trees and Seedlings, DNR 
• Principles of Pruning, Iowa State University Extension & Outreach 2015
• How much space does my street tree need?, University of Minnesota 2021
• City of Ely tree care door hanger, 2021
• Young Tree Maintenance:
• Watering your trees. Newly planted trees need 15-25 gallons of water once a week for the first 3 to 5 years when the ground is thawed. You can skip watering if it has rained more than 1 inch in a week.
• Mulching your trees. Mulch that cover a trees roots provides numerous benefits. It keeps the roots cool and moist in the summer. It protects tree roots from freezing in the winter. Mulch adds nutrients and organic matter to the soil, and reduces competition with weeds. Mulch also keeps weed whips and lawn mowers away from a tree's trunk. Follow the 3-3-3 rule with mulch: place a 3-foot diameter circle of mulch around the tree, pull mulch back so it’s 3 inches away from the trunk (this will avoid volcano mulching), and make sure that the mulch is 3 inches deep.
• Pruning your trees. Trees should be pruned when they are young so they grow strong branch attachments and good structure, which reduces damage a tree experiences during storms. Proper pruning techniques speeds up the time a pruning wound heals and decreases the formation of rot in a tree.
• Urban Wood Network

Register for upcoming GreenStep Cities and Tribal Nations workshops here. You do not need to be a GreenStep community to attend.

 Visit the GreenStep Cities and Tribal Nations program website at www.mngreenstep.org.