Recommended Trees for: Northern Tallgrass An Ecosystem Approach *Authors: Gary R. Johnson, Peter Bedker Technical Adviser: Gerald L. Jensen

The Northern Tallgrass Prairie: Bounded to the west by the Red River and extending eastward to the limits of continuous tall grass prairie presettlement vegetation, much of this region is a large lake plain formed by the Glacial Lake Agassiz. Soils range from clays to sandy/gravelly beach ridges, may be poorly to moderately well drained, and are often very alkaline. Originally, the area was vegetated by bluestems, Indian grass, and other grasses. Narrow, forested floodplains were common along larger streams and rivers. Broader zones of woodland were common along the fire shadows of 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 the Northern Tallgrass Prairie.

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 the Northern Tallgrass Prairie or require specific siting requirements such as wind protection or acidic soils. Use caution until their performance is better documented.

CAUTION: Trees in these sections either have chronic problems with growing and overall health, such as damaging diseases or site intolerances, or are not reliably hardy to the area, e.g., they are out of their natural cold hardiness zone. Use these trees with moderation in very well-prepared landscape sites with regular maintenance or well-protected microclimates.

pH: This column will have either a numerical range within which the plant performs best, or a notation na, which means information on the range is not available.

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
Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee

Partial funding was provided by:
University of Minnesota Extension Service [the Renewable Extension (RREA) program of the Minnesota Extension Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture--Cooperative States Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES)]

College of Natural Resources, University of Minnesota

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