Pollution tolerant trees
10 pollution-tolerant trees: Most gardeners already know that the buildup of greenhouse gases can cause damage to food crops, but these same compounds can also be harmful to trees. Of the many gases being emitted into the atmosphere, sulphur dioxide and ozone are responsible for more injury to woody plants than all other air pollutants combined. The following is a list of native trees that are tolerant of both sulphur dioxide and ozone.
| Black maple (Acer nigrum) Zone 4 | Sugar maple (A. saccharum) Zone 3 | Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) Zone 6 |
| Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) Zone 4 | Black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) Zone 5 | Colorado spruce (Picea pungens) Zone 3 |
| Douglasfir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) Zone 4 | Red oak (Quercus rubra) Zone 4 | White cedar (Thuja occidentalis) Zone 3 |
| American beech (Fagus grandifolia) Zone 4 |
10 best shade trees for big properties
Large deciduous trees are often grown on the south side of homes to provide shade during the heat of summer while allowing sunlight to penetrate during the winter. Be sure to provide plenty of space though—these native Goliaths all require lots of elbow room.
| Name | Height x Spread (m) | Comments |
| Red maple (Acer rubrum) Zone 4 | 22 to 30 x 15 to 22 | Excellent specimen tree; intolerant of city pollution; dazzling red fall colour |
| Sugar maple (A. saccharum) Zone 3 | 22 to 30 x 15 to 22 | Source of maple syrup; wood is prized by furniture makers; brilliant yellow to burnt orange fall foliage |
| Common hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) Zone 2 | 22 to 30 x 22 to 30 | Tolerant of dry soils and windy conditions; related to elm and similar in outline but immune to Dutch elm disease; yellow fall foliage |
| American yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea) Zone 4 | 15 to 22 x 15 to 22 | Panicles of fragrant, white flowers in early summer; no serious disease or insect problems; golden yellow fall foliage |
| American beech (Fagus grandifolia) Zone 4 | 22 to 30 x 15 to 22 | Young trees transplant easily; attracts wildlife; golden bronze fall foliage |
| Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus) Zone 4 | 22 to 30 x 15 to 22 | Choose male clone cultivars such as ‘Stately Manor’; seeds were used by early settlers as a coffee substitute; yellow fall foliage |
| Black walnut (Juglans nigra) Zone 3 | 22 to 30 x 22 to 30 | Prefers rich, moist soil; wood is highly prized by cabinet makers; yellow fall foliage. Caveat: roots emit juglone, which restricts growth of understorey plants |
| Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) Zone 3 | 22 to 30 x 22 to 30 | More tolerant of pollution than most oaks; difficult to transplant; yellow-green fall foliage |
| Red oak (Q. rubra) Zone 4 | 22 to 30 x 22 to 30 | Fast growing; prefers moist, well-drained soil; transplants easily; russet to bright red fall foliage |
| American linden (Tilia americana) Zone 3 | 22 to 30 x 15 to 22 | Several cultivars available; a.k.a. basswood and used for furniture; pale yellow fall foliage |
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4 Comments
I have been thinking of adding a small tree to my zone 7 backyard. It has a south and western exposure, so would have to be tolerant of Windsor's hot and humid summers. I have been thinking of a downy serviceberry or a kousa dogwood, but noticed neither of these mentioned in the article. Any suggestions?
We are replacing a Japanese maple tree which was planted near our front entrance. It's canopy shaded our front porch during hot summer afternoons. As it was diseased and I understand that this is common with Japanese maples, can you suggest another similar sized, reddish leaf tree to replace it with?
We are replacing a Japanese maple tree which was planted near our front entrance. It's canopy shaded our front porch during hot summer afternoons. As it was diseased and I understand that this is common with Japanese maples, can you suggest another similar sized, reddish leaf tree to replace it with?
We are replacing a Japanese maple tree which was planted near our front entrance. It's canopy shaded our front porch during hot summer afternoons. As it was diseased and I understand that this is common with Japanese maples, can you suggest another similar sized, reddish leaf tree to replace it with?