Preferred Trees List - City of Post Falls

What’s Hot & What’s Not 

in the World of Urban Foresters 

Post Falls Urban Forestry Division 

City of Post Falls, ID

What’s Hot?

Pin Oak 

(Quercus palustris)

Pin Oak 

(Quercus palustris) 

• Named for the large number of "pin‐like" or spur‐like fine lateral branches, this large, deciduous shade tree displays a 

uniform pyramidal habit with a dominant central leader. 

• Habit/Form: Uniformly pyramidal with a straight central leader; the upper branches ascending and the lower ones distinctly 

descending. 

• Size: 60 to 70' high, 40 to 50’ wide. 

• Color: Glossy dark green; light green to yellow‐green if suffering from iron chlorosis. Fall color varies from bright red to dull 

brown. 

• Insect/Disease Factors: Over plantings can encourage problems, such as gypsy moth, oak wilt, galls and cankers. Resistant to 

anthracnose. 

• Hardiness: Zone 4b USDA 

• Growth Rate: Fast 

• Ornamental Features: Striking excurrent form and very showy when fall color is good.

Scarlet Oak 

(Quercus coccinea)

Scarlet Oak 

(Quercus coccinea) 

• A large deciduous oval to rounded tree known for its excellent scarlet fall color. 

• Habit/Form: Oval to rounded with an open habit. 

• Size: 70 to 75' high, 40 to 50’ wide 

• Color: Glossy dark green. Impressive orange to red fall color. 

• Insect/Disease Factors: None that are serious or limiting. 

• Hardiness: Zone 5a USDA 

• Growth Rate: Relatively slow. 

• Ornamental Features: Very striking fall color, acorns. 

• Notable Alternative: Red oak (Quercus rubra)

Heritage Birch 

(Betula nigra)

Heritage Birch 

(Betula nigra ‘Heritage’) 

• This selection of river birch has outstanding exfoliating bark in various shades of white to salmon‐white, becoming tan‐white. 

It is more vigorous than the species and appears to be more pest tolerant. Heritage is the registered trademarked name for 

the cultivar 'Cully', discovered by Earl Cully of Jacksonville, Illinois. 

• Habit/Form: Broadly pyramidal to oval, vigorous grower, multi‐stem or single stem forms available, ‘Dura‐Heat’ has dense 

compact appearance. 

• Size: 40 to 50’ high, 30 to 40’ wide. 

• Color: Glossy light green on the upper side of leaf and pubescent white on the under side. Leaves turn yellow in the fall. 

• Insect/Disease Factors: Resistant to bronze birch borer, less prone to leaf‐spot than the species. ‘Dura Heat’ is aphid 

resistant. 

• Hardiness: Zone 4b (4a) USDA 

• Growth Rate: Medium to fast. 

• Ornamental Features: The exfoliating bark is the most outstanding feature, slender dark brown catkins. 

• Notable Alternative: A really good alternative to Heritage Birch is the Turkish Filbert (Corylus colurna).

European Beech 

(Fagus sylvatica)

European Beech 

(Fagus sylvatica) 

• An oval to rounded shade tree with a beautiful smooth gray bark and numerous cultivated selections for foliage and habit 

variations. 

• Habit/Form: Pyramidal in youth becoming oval to rounded with age, uniform 

• Size: 40‐60' high, 35 to 45’ wide. 

• Color: Light to dark green in the summer, turning to a mixture of gold/orange/bronze in the fall. Impressive fall color on 

mature trees. 

• Insect/Disease Factors: Susceptible to beech bark disease, cankers, powdery mildew and leaf spots. 


• Growth Rate: Slow to moderate. 

• Ornamental Features: Smooth grey bark, fruit pods, large buttress roots.

Norway Spruce 

(Picea abies)

Norway Spruce 

(Picea abies) 

• Cultivated for many centuries, this popular and graceful evergreen tree boasts a pyramidal habit with pendulous older 

branches, rich dark green color and an impressive size. It has been widely planted all over the world. 

• Habit/Form: Tall pyramidal with a straight central leader, horizontal lateral branches, and distinctly pendulous tertiary 

branches; it tends to lose its form and lower branches with age. 

• Size: 60‐90' high in the landscape, 130‐215' in native range, 30 to 40’ wide. 

• Color: Deep green 

• Insect/Disease Factors: None serious. 

• Hardiness: Zone 3a USDA, but not adapted beyond zone 7 due to heat. 

• Growth Rate: Fast at 2‐3 feet per year on average. 

• Ornamental Features: Pendulous foliage on large ascending branches; large slender cones hanging from branches.

Kentucky Coffeetree 

(Gymnocladus dioicus)

Kentucky Coffeetree 

(Gymnocladus dioicus) 

• A large oval deciduous tree with bipinnately compound leaves and good cultural adaptability. The genus name means "naked 

branch", a feature which gives the plant a very bare and bold or picturesque winter appearance. 

• Habit/Form: Oval with coarse branching, picturesque 


• Color: Emerges late spring with pinkish‐purplish tinge, changing to blue‐green in summer, and a potentially good yellow fall 

color. 

• Insect/Disease Features: Relatively pest free. 


• Growth Rate: Medium 

• Ornamental Features: The flower has greenish‐white or yellowish‐white pyramidal clusters, late spring, 8‐12” on female 

trees, 3‐4” on male trees, female has a rose fragrance. The bark is a rough grey to dark brown, with hard thin and scaly 

ridges curling outward, exposing an orange/brown color.

Black Tupelo 

(Nyssa sylvatica)

Black Tupelo 

(Nyssa sylvatica) 

• Nyssa sylvatica, commonly known as black tupelo, tupelo, or black gum, is a medium‐sized deciduous tree native to eastern 

North America from New England and southern Ontario south to central Florida and eastern Texas, as well as Mexico. 

• Habit/Form: Pyramidal in youth, becoming rounded pyramidal; it has a central leader with numerous small‐diameter lateral 

branches radiating from the trunk at right angles like spokes on a wheel when viewed from below. 


• Color: Dark glossy green in the summer, turning to a complete spectrum of fall colors. 



• Growth Rate: Slow to medium. 

• Ornamental Features: Spectacular fall colors, perfect excurrent form when young, no hassles. 

• Notable Alternative: Persian Parrotia (Parrotia persica).

Chinkapin Oak 

(Quercus muehlenbergii)

Chinkapin Oak 

(Quercus muehlenbergii) 

• A medium to large rounded to broad‐rounded deciduous tree whose lumber was extensively used for railroad ties in the early 

days of the railroad in the US. 

• Habit/Form: Initially rounded, becoming broad‐rounded with age; wide open branch angles. 

• Size: 40 to 50' high, sometimes larger, 30 to 60’ wide. 

• Color: Dark, glossy green in summer, turning to a somewhat dull orange/brown in the fall. 

• Insect/Disease Features: None serious. 


• Growth Rate: Medium in youth, slow with age. 

• Ornamental Features: Very interesting serrated leaf, rough and flaky bark, showy 3‐4” long male catkins, acorns.

Japanese Zelkova 

(Zelkova serrata)

Japanese Zelkova 

(Zelkova serrata) 

• Distinctly vase‐shaped and rounded, this large Asian deciduous tree features a medium‐fine texture and interesting fall color. 

• Habit/Form: Vase‐shaped and rounded, arching, heavily branched low in the crown, densely crowded with narrow‐angled 

branches. 


• Color: Dark green in summer, turning to combinations of russet‐yellow, brown, yellow, orange, red, purple. 


• Hardiness: Zone 5b USDA 

• Growth Rate: Medium, possibly fast in youth. 

• Ornamental Features: Attractive form, bark is extremely ornamental, reddish brown and cherry‐like in youth, exfoliates and 

mottles with age in oranges, greys and browns.

Katsura Tree 

(Cercidiphyllum japonicum)

Katsura Tree 

(Cercidiphyllum japonicum) 

• A handsome, medium sized deciduous tree with attractive bluish‐green leaves that are purplish when emerging and 

developing potentially good orange‐yellow fall color. 

• Habit/Form: Rounded‐pyramidal if several trunks, narrower if grown with a single trunk. 


• Color: New leaves reddish purple changing to bluish green in summer. 




• Ornamental Features: Interesting ½ to ¾” seed pod, graceful form, stunning, though short‐lived, fall display.

Blue Giant Sequoia 

(Sequoiadendron giganteum ‘Glaucum’)

Blue Giant Sequoia 

(Sequoiadendron giganteum ‘Glaucum’) 

• A rare selection with steel‐blue foliage and chestnut red bark when established, Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Glaucum' also 

seems to have a slightly more narrow habit than the species Sequoiadendron giganteum when young. 

A spectacular and unusual cultivar with fetching blue‐grey foliage. 

• Habit/Form: Narrow pyramidal, with a strong central leader and uniformly dense foliage that is sharply scaly and cord‐like; is 

beautifully tapered, with a wide base (not as wide as the species) and a perfect central leader, unlike the species. 


• Color: Light bluish green. 


• Hardiness: Zone 6 –9 USDA. This zone classification does not seem to be accurate. The ‘Blue Giant’ grows quite happily in 

zone 5. 


• Ornamental Features: Attractive bluish/green color, very uniform, hassle‐free. Ideal for specimen plantings in city parks and 

other open spaces.

What’s Not!

Red Maple 

• The red 

(Acer rubrum) 

maple is just 

overplanted 

in this area.

Norway Maple 

(Acer platanoides) 

• Can become very invasive in 

naturalized areas of a city.

Silver Maple 

(Acer saccharinum) 

• Causes 

infrastruc 

ture 

problems 

with 

swales 

and tends 

to be 

hazardous 

in later 

years.

Sugar Maple 

(Acer saccharum) 

• Great for 

parks, etc. 

but not for 

swales, 

curbs and 

sidewalks.

Callery Pear 

(Pyrus calleryana) 

• Over-branching 

and included bark 

causes maintenance 

headache.

Cherry Plum 

(Prunus cerasifera) 

• Seriously 

overplanted. 

Fruit drop in 

late August 

is a street 

sweeper’s 

nightmare!

Honey Locust 

(Gleditsia triacanthos) 

• The overarching 

habit of the 

honey locust 

makes it an 

on going 

street 

maintenance 

project.

The What’s Not Hot List 

• As a note to the above list, I do not mean to suggest that urban foresters do not like these trees. They are 

perfectly desirable trees in their own right and have many sought after attributes. As street trees, however, 

they do possess certain problems, and, for that reason, urban foresters are generally not interested in 

them. 

• In practice, what this means is, for example, when there is a new development of trees to be purchased, 

the urban forester will encourage the landscape architect to choose from the “What’s Hot List” rather 

than from the “What’s Not List”, thereby ensuring a proper species diversity for the urban forest.

What are some things Urban Foresters 

look for in nursery stock? 

• Quality of Material : Urban Foresters want the chance to inspect the tree at the nursery. This would include having a 

look at the root ball of the tree to be sure it has no visible signs of deformity, either from packaging or disease. 

• A strong central leader with well proportioned branching. 

• Free of insect and disease damage. 

• Roots that are not excessively root-bound. 

• A visible trunk flare above grade at the root crown. 

Nine times out of ten, urban foresters are frustrated by the fact that the tree’s root crown and trunk flare are covered by 

about 6” of compacted potting soil. Perhaps there is a practical need to cover the root ball and protect it from the elements, 

but when it comes time for planting, all of that compacted soil (which also has adventitious roots growing through it) make 

it difficult for planting the tree at the correct planting depth. 

• Caliper Size : Generally speaking, we do not get trees above 2” caliper, otherwise they are too heavy to plant on a large 

scale. Exceptions include specimen trees for parks, arboretums or special locations. 

• The cities of Post Falls, Coeur d’Alene and Hayden all have a minimum requirement of 1. 25” caliper for street trees. But, 

for special plantings, a tree up to 6” may be sought after.

What are Urban Foresters looking for from 

the Nursery Grower? 

• An Accommodating Grower: 

• Due to the large inventory of trees that we purchase, we want the grower to be willing to work with us on certain 

specifics, such as – holding the trees for extended periods of time; making sure trees are not heavily root-bound; informing 

us of any defects they might be aware of. 

• An Educated Grower: 

• As Bob Dylan once famously said: The times they are a changin’. We all need to be up to speed on the latest research on 

how trees grow and what helps them grow better. Urban foresters pay close attention to nursery growers who make efforts 

to attend educational workshops and who even change work practices to suit the latest tree research. 

• Follow up on Sales Pitch! 

• Keep sending us your inventories and prices. 

• The squeaky wheel gets the grease! 

• A superior product from one nursery will trump a lower cost tree from another. So, don’t be afraid if your trees seem to 

be a little over priced. If they are quality trees, we will go with your trees every time.

What are Nursery Growers Looking for 

from Urban Foresters? 

• Let us know what YOU need from us: 

• The above list of “hot” trees is by no means an exhaustive list of desirable trees of urban 

foresters. This list could easily have been quadrupled in size but for time restrictions. 

Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions: 

Brendan Murphy, Urban Forester 

408 N. Spokane St. 

Post Falls, ID 83854 

(208) 457-3315 

bmurphy@postfallsidaho.org 

www.postfallsidaho.org

end

Preferred Trees List - City of Post Falls

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