Recommended Trees for: Southwest Minnesota An Ecosystem Approach *Authors: Gary R. Johnson, Katie M. Himanga Technical Adviser: Gerald L. Jensen

Southwest Minnesota contains the following ecological areas:

Minnesota River Prairie. Level to gently rolling moraine, with well- to moderately well-drained loamy soils. A few soils are clayey, some sandy and gravelly. A very drying environment for woody plants. Original vegetation was prairie grasses and riparian forests of silver maple, cottonwood, elm and willow. Inner Coteau. Soils are well-drained and consist of windblown silt with occasional bedrock outcrops. Plant communities were dominated by prairies; occasional riparian forests. Coteau Moraines. Gently rolling to hilly land with windblown silt soils covering loamy, well-drained glacial material high in lime. Plant communities were dominated by tall grass prairies with occasional forests near streams.

Introduction

Trees shade and cool us in the summer, protect us from cold winter winds, supply us with clean air to breathe, define and beautify our communities and businesses and provide habitat for wildlife. Not all trees do well in every planting situation, however. Selecting the trees that will survive and grow into healthy urban forests requires a thorough analysis of the planting site, and a careful match of the trees to that environment.

The Recommended Trees series recognizes that Minnesota is an ecologically diverse state. For this series, the state is divided into six major ecological regions, each with characteristic soils, precipitation patterns, topography, and natural vegetation. Recommended trees for each region are those that perform reliably in that environment, and should thrive for many years.

RECOMMENDED TREES: Trees in these sections include species that have a history of performing well as street/boulevard/landscape trees in general for Southwest Minnesota.

LIMITED USE: Trees in these sections may have some value in certain instances, such as unusually harsh planting sites, or for wildlife cover, but are not recommended for general use.

TREES TO TRY: Trees in these sections have shown promise in landscapes or as street trees, but either do not have a long history of use in Southwest Minnesota or require specific siting requirements such as wind protection or acidic soils. Use caution until their performance is better documented.

This publication was produced with the support of:

USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Area, State and Private Forestry

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Urban and Community Forestry Program

Partial funding was provided by:

University of Minnesota Extension Service [the Renewable Resources Extension (RREA) program of the University of Minnesota Extension Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture—Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES)]

College of Natural Resources, University of Minnesota

Produced by Communication and Educational Technology Services, University of Minnesota Extension.

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