Top 10 Trees - Know Them or Suffer

The late Dr. Shigo once professed to me "If you want to be an expert, find the 10 most common trees that grow in your region and get to know them. Really, really, get to know them." Being a smart-aleck I asked him if this was some kind of contest or something. Having no sense of humor for my shenanigans, Dr. Shigo explained that I should make a list of the most common trees on my customer's properties and get to work at discovering what makes these trees tick.

So here is my top 10 for the Atlanta region:
  1. Tulip poplar

  2. Sweetgum

  3. Water oak

  4. Willow oak

  5. White oak

  6. Southern red oak

  7. Post oak

  8. Red maple

  9. Flowering dogwood

  10. Loblolly pine

What trees would you add to the list? What trees would you subtract?

Comments

Anonymous said…
You have got to love Shigo's approach!
2:33 PM
Anonymous said…
Top 10 for Lincoln, Nebraska region:

1. Scots pine
2. Austrian pine
3. Bur oak
4. Pin oak
5. American elm
6. Green & White ash
7. Cottonwood
8. Hackberry
9. Blue spruce
10. Silver maple

Thanks for continuing to share Dr. Shigo's wisdom.
10:02 PM
Jesse Milton said…
@ Chris: and loving it I am

@ Robert: Thanks for contributing your list. Its very interesting so see what other people are seeing in their neck of the woods. Maybe I'll put together a compendium of lists for different regions of the country?
7:27 AM
Unknown said…
I'm about 90 miles north of Atlanta. My list of most common trees on my 14 acres (from most common to less common):

1. Sweetgum
2. Red Maple
3. Loblolly Pine
4. Willow Oak
5. Tulip Tree
6. Black Cherry
7. Flowering Dogwood
8. Chinese Privet
9. Southern Red Oak
10. White Oak

I know of 2 Water Oaks on my property and I haven't found a Post Oak yet (I'd like to).
5:49 PM
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