Alberta Tree Species Rating Guide

1. Alberta Tree Species

• Rating Guide

Official publication of the Prairie Chapter International Society of Arboriculture

• 2003

© 2003 Prairie Chapter International Society of Arboriculture

This publication may not be copied, reproduced, or established in an electronic format without the written permission of the Prairie Chapter International Society of Arboriculture.

This Guide does not include the provinces of Saskatchewan nor Manitoba.

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2. This Alberta Tree Species Rating Guide and evaluation techniques discussed should only

be used by qualified tree appraisers. The authors and the Prairie Chapter accept no responsibility for any consequences resulting from improper use of the information or any errors or omissions here in.

Contributors to this guide include

• Lindsay Bell Parks, City of Lethbridge

Brendan Casement retired, Alberta Provincial Horticulture Specialist

Milton Davies Urban Forestry, City of Edmonton Linda Feddes Urban Forester, City of Red Deer

• Martin Flint Davey Tree

Sheila Flint County of Strathcona Gerard Fournier ForTrees Company Ltd.

Russell Friesen Urban Forestry, City of Calgary Don Hay Urban Forestry, City of Calgary

Dave Herbert Olds College Instructor; Herbert Nurseries

Arnold Heuver Foothills Nursery Verna Mumby Mumby’s Tree Service

Dwayne Neustaeter ArborMaster Training Inc.

Laurie Newsham Olds College Arboriculture Instructor; Treekeepers Inc.

Gail Rankin Rankin Horticulturists Ken Riske MillCreek Nurseries

Anita Schill (Chair) Olds College Arboriculture Instructor; Tree & Leaf Cons.

Norm St. Jean Georgian Trees, Inc.

Edzard Teubert Fuzie Gardens, Inc.

The purpose of this publication is to establish regional species ratings, standard replacement tree size and standard size (height and caliper) of conifers.

The regions included in this publication are the Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton regions. Two more regions may be added at a later date. The region of Medicine Hat,

Brooks and Lethbridge show great variance in adaptability of plant material than what is found in the other areas. The region of Grande Prairie, Peace River and Ft. McMurray may show differences as well.

It is intended that this guide be used in conjunction with the Council of Tree and

Landscape Appraiser’s Guide for Plant Appraisal. 9th edition published by the

International Society of Arboriculture, Champaign IL in 2000. To purchase this guide contact the Prairie Chapter office at (403)224-3722.

This guide may also be used by urban foresters, homeowners, landscapers, landscape architects and arborists to aid in the selection of trees for planting in the urban landscape.

In cases where a tree is too large that it cannot be replaced with a comparable tree, the use of the Trunk Formula Method may be required.

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3. The Regional Plant Appraisal Committee for Alberta has made the following

determinations to provide the appraiser with specific criteria to be used in the formula.

The species rating of 110% will be for "special class" or "historic" species. This will be noted in one's reports if used but the Species Rating list itself will only go to 100%.

The committee adopted a constant replacement tree size of 60 – 85mm for deciduous trees for use in the Trunk Formula Method. This size reflects the availability and survivability of most species in the province of Alberta.

Wholesale tree costs are to be used when calculating the unit tree cost. Unit tree cost calculation example. A 75mm caliper tree costs $375.00 the resulting unit tree cost would be:

$375.00 / 0.785 (7.5cm)2 = $375.00 / 44cm2 = $8.52/cm2

The municipalities of Edmonton and Calgary use a standard unit tree cost that they have developed themselves that reflect the differences in labour costs and tree availability that is different from the private sector. When the private appraiser uses the above guidelines to determine the unit tree cost, it will be within the same unit tree cost range that is used by those municipalities.

Conifers were treated separately. Their appraised value using the Trunk Formula Method has been difficult to assess for the following reasons:

• Conifers are sold according to height rather than caliper.
• The caliper size of mature conifers is significantly smaller than the same deciduous tree of the same age.

The committee assigned a constant replacement tree size of 2.0 - 2.5 m in height for conifers and established the caliper size of 5cm to be used in the formula. The resulting unit tree cost will be higher than that of deciduous trees.

Installation costs should include delivery, planting and maintenance. These costs should reflect the current arboriculture research for the establishment of newly planted trees which may incur additional costs. For example:

• Use original backfill and excavate the planting hole 2-3X the diameter of the root ball
• Removal of the wire basket, burlap, twine,etc. (yet maintain the integrity of the rootball)
• Encourage the development of ectomycorrhizae and other beneficial microorganisms
• use materials and techniques to improve site drainage and aeration
• provide an extended maintenance period to ensure the establishment of the new planting
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4. The nomenclature follows the Krussmann’s Manual of Cultivated Broad-leaved Trees

and Shrubs, Krussmann’s Manual of Cultivated Conifers and Griffith’s Index of Garden

Plants. Species ratings were developed after considering factors such as soil adaptability, cold hardiness, climate adaptability, growth characteristics and resistance to insects and disease organisms.

The ratings for some species have changed drastically since the last publications. These changes may be due to a number of factors including their performance in a region.

Appraisers outside of the regions may use these ratings as a guide but it is up to the appraiser to use their judgement and be prepared to defend their determination of species value.

Shaded areas in the species list indicate insufficient numbers of these trees in the area for the members to assign a rating. For these plants it is the responsibility of the appraiser to use professional discretion according to the criteria on page 26 of the Guide. To avoid double depreciation be careful not to use condition or location to determine the species rating. These are factored separately later in the Trunk Formula. The values assigned by the other regions can also be used as a guide.

If you have any questions regarding this publication please contact Anita Schill anitaschill@shaw.ca

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5. SPECIES RATING IN ALBERTA Calgary Red Deer Edmonton

Range 40% - 100% Region Region Region Species Common Name % % %

Abies balsamea Balsam Fir 70 80 100 Abies concolor White Fir 60 70

Abies lasiocarpa Alpine Fir 70 80 Abies sibirica Siberian Fir 80 90

Acer negundo Manitoba Maple 60 60 50 Acer platanoides Norway Maple 50 50

Acer platanoides cvs. Norway Maple cvs. 50 50 Acer saccharinum Silver Maple 60 60 100

Acer saccharinum cvs. Silver Maple cvs. 60 60 100

Acer saccharum Sugar Maple 50 50 Acer tataricum Tartarian Maple 80 80

Acer tataricum ssp. ginnala Amur Maple 70 70 80 Aesculus glabra Ohio Buckeye 90 90 100

Aesculus hippocatanum Horse Chestnut 60 60 100 Alnus sp. Alder sp. 60 70 60

Betula albosinensis septentrionalis Brown China Birch 80 80

• Betula davurica Dahurian Birch 80 80

Betula fontinalis (occidentalis) Fountain or Water Birch 80 80

Betula mandshurica (platyphylla) Manchurian Birch 80 80

Betula neoalaskana Alaska Birch 80 80 Betula nigra River Birch 80 80

Betula papyrifera Paper Birch 80 80 80 Betula papyrifera 'Chikadee' Chickadee Birch 80 85 100

Betula pendula (verrucosa) European Weeping Birch 70 70 100

Betula pendula 'Gracilis' Cutleaf Weeping Birch 70 80 100

Betula pendula 'Youngii' Young's Weeping Birch 80 80 80

Caragana arborescens Common Caragana 70 70 60

Caragana arborescens 'Sutherland' Sutherland Caragana 70 70 60

Caragana arborescens 'Lorbergii' Fernleaf Caragana 70 70 60

Celtis occidentalis Common Hackberry 60 60 Crataegus arnoldiana Arnold's Hawthorn 80 80

Crataegus cerronis Chocolate Hawthorn 80 80 80 Crataegus chlorosarca Black Hawthorn 80 80

Crataegus X mordenensis 'Snowbird' Snowbird Hawthorn 80 80 80

Crataegus X mordenensis 'Toba' Toba Hawthorn 80 80 80

Crataegus succulenta Fleshy Hawthorn 70 80 80 Elaeagnus angustifolia Russian Olive 80 60 100

Fraxinus americana White Ash 50 50 Fraxinus mandschurica Manchurian Ash 100 90 100

Fraxinus nigra and cultivars Black Ash 90 90 100

Fraxinus pennsylvanica 'Patmore' Patmore Green Ash 90 90 100

Fraxinus pennsylvanica lanceolata Green Ash 80 80 80

Juglans cinerea Butternut 60 60 Juglans mandshurica Manchurian Walnut 50 50

Jugans nigra Black Walnut 70 50 70

6. SPECIES RATING IN ALBERTA Calgary Red Deer Edmonton

Range 40% - 100% Region Region Region Species Common Name % % %

Juniperus scopulorum cvs. Rocky Mountain Juniper 80 80 80

Larix decidua European Larch 80 80 Larix gmelinii (dahurica) Dahurian Larch 80 80

Larix laricina Tamarack 80 80 100 Larix lyallii Alpine Larch 80 80 100

Larix sibirica ( russica ) Siberian Larch 100 100 100

Maackia amurensis Amur Maackia 60 60 Malus baccata cvs. Siberian Crabapple cvs. 80 80 80

Malus X adstringens cvs Rosybloom Crabapples cvs. 80 80 80

Phellodendron amurense Amur Corktree 80 80 Phellodendron sachalinense Sakhalin Corktree 80 80

Picea abies Norway Spruce 90 90 100 Picea engelmannii Engelmann Spruce 100 100 100

Picea glauca White Spruce 90 100 100 Picea glauca ‘Densata’ Black Hills Spruce 100 100 100

Picea mariana Black Spruce 60 60 100 Pcea omorika Serbian Spruce 100 100 100

Picea pungens Colorado Spruce 100 100 100 Picea pungens cvs Colorado Spruce cvs. 100 100 100

Pinus albicaulis Whitebark Pine 100 100 100 Pinus aristata Bristlecone Pine 100 100 100

Pinus banksiana Jack Pine 90 80 100 Pinus cembra Swiss Stone Pine 100 100 100

Pinus contorta latifolia Lodgepole Pine 70 80 100

Pinus flexilis Limber Pine 100 100 100

Pinus uncinata ( mugo rostrata) Swiss Mountain Pine 100 100 100

Pinus nigra Austrian Pine 90 90 100 Pinus ponderosa Ponderosa Pine 100 100 100

Pinus resinosa Red Pine 50 50 Pinus strobiformis Southwestern White Pine 80 80

Pinus strobus Eastern White Pine 70 70 100 Pinus sylvestris Scots Pine 100 80 100

Populus jackii ‘Northwest’ Northwest Poplar 80 80 80

Populus balsamifera Balsam Poplar 60 60 40 Populus X ‘Brooks #6’ Brooks#6 Poplar 70 70 40

Populus X canescens ‘Tower’ Tower Poplar 80 80 80

Populus deltoides (sargentii) Plains Cottonwood 90 90

Populus tremula ‘Erecta’ Swedish Columnar Aspen 90 90 100

Populus tremuloides Trembling Aspen 70 70 40 Populus X ‘Assiniboine’ Assiniboine Poplar 80 80

Populus X ‘Byland Green’ Byland Green Poplar 80 80

Populus x ‘Griffin’ Griffin Poplar 50 50 40 Populus X ‘Walker’ Walker Poplar 50 50

Populus X ‘Prairie Sky’ Prairie Sky Poplar 70 70

Populus X ‘Thevestina’ Theves Poplar 80 80 6

7. 7 SPECIES RATING IN ALBERTA Calgary Red Deer Edmonton

7 SPECIES RATING IN ALBERTA Calgary Red Deer Edmonton

Range 40% - 100% Region Region Region Species Common Name % % %

Prunus maackii Amur Cherry 60 80 80 Prunus mandshurica Apricot 70 70 80

Prunus nigra (americana) Canada Plum 70 70 80 Prunus X nigrella ‘Muckle’ Muckle Plum 70 70 80

Prunus padus commutata Mayday 60 70 80 Prunus pensylvanica Pincherry 70 70 80

Prunus virginiana melanocarpa Western Chokecherry 70 70 80

Prunus virginiana ‘Schubert’ Schubert Chokecherry 70 80 80

Prunus virginiana other cvs. Chokecherry cvs. 80 80 80

Pseudotsuga menziesii glauca Blue Douglas Fir 90 90 100

Pyrus ussuriensis Ussurian Pear 90 90 80 Quercus alba White Oak 90 90 100

Quercus ellipsoidalis Northern Pin Oak 80 80 100

Quercus macrocarpa Bur Oak 100 100 100 Quercus mongolica Mongolian Oak 100 100

Salix acutifolia Sharp Leaf Willow 90 90 80 Salix alba varieties White Willow varieties 60 60 60

Salix amygdaloides Peach Leaf Willow 70 70 40 Salix bebbiana Diamond Willow 70 70 40

Salix discolor Pussy Willow 70 70 40 Salix pentandra Laurel Leaf Willow 80 80 40

Salix selections Various willow selections 60 60 60

Sorbus americana American Mountain Ash 70 90 80 Sorbus aucuparia European Mountain Ash 70 90 80

Sorbus aucuparia cultivars Eg. ‘Rossica’ 80 90 80

Sorbus decora Showy Mountain Ash 90 90 80 Sorbus scopulina Greene’s Mountain Ash 90 90 80

Syringa pekinensis Peking Tree Lilac 90 90 Syringa reticulata Japanese Tree Lilac 90 90 100

Thuja occidentalis Arborvitae selections 80 80 100

Tilia americana cultivars American Linden 70 60 100

Tilia cordata cultivars Littleleaf Linden 70 70 100

Tilia flavescens 'Dropmore' Dropmore Linden 80 90 100

Tilia mongolica Mongolian Linden 70 70 Ulmus americana and cultivars American Elm 90 100 100

Ulmus davidiana ‘Japonica’ Japanese Elm Ulmus pumila Siberian/Manchurian Elm 70 70 60