# trees for back yard



## jimbo (Dec 29, 2007)

we had a wind storm a couple of weeks ago that took out 3 big silver maples out of the backyard. I need to replace tthem with a couple of nice trees. Something that will have shade,no nuts, little seeds & twigs. It need to be fairly O.K. for the septic & such.

I'm think of an American beech.
any other trees I need to look at


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## Forest Meister (Mar 7, 2010)

Have you given some thought to Sugar Maple? They are generally a lot tougher than silver maple when it comes to wind breakage, are naturally nicely shaped when open grown and are very pretty in the fall too. They do prefer better soil than silver maples though, and will not to well in some of the moister areas where silver and red (soft) maples thrive. 

Beech are pretty trees but they do produce nuts, be they quite small. The big drawback with beech right now is a fatal condition known as Beech Bark Disease that is spreading across state like wildfire and seems to be spread via wind or movement of firewood. http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/FHH_344124_7.pdf

If you are sure you want a beech consider waiting a while. There is a program afoot to locate and propagate disease resistant trees that looks very promising, but who knows how long it will take before these resistant trees are available from nurseries. FM


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## jimbo (Dec 29, 2007)

yes, i have thought about sugar,red & norway maples. & i may go with one of them. but someone said all maples have shallow root systems & are not real good for septics. But they should be O.K. for the next 30 yrs or the rest of my life. Guess I'm looking for something that may be a bit different.
never heard about beech bark disease, thanks


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## radiohead (Apr 11, 2006)

We planted an Autumn Blaze Maple, which I believe is a silver and red maple hybrid, a few years ago and couldn't be happier with it.

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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

When we moved in here twelve years ago we had a big double Elm growing in the back yard at the end of the driveway. After a few years it split and fell so I took it out. I didn't do anything with it for about a year and then decided we needed a tree there. I went out and bought a nice Sycamore tree. It was only about ten feet high when I planted it about six or seven years ago. It's already at least twenty-five feet high and is a BEAUTIFUL tree! Nice large leaves and a very interesting bark. It's fairly smooth but it splits and peels back in places exposing different colors. I figured it would quite a few years before getting any real shade from anything that I planted there but have been pleasantly surprised with how fast it's grown. It's the nicest tree on our lot. 

John


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## atp500 (Feb 6, 2007)

Autumn Blaze Maple, great tree, no seeds, grows up to 3 feet a year. I planted 7 in the last 7years and couldn't be happier. Check them out and buy from a Nursery near you, not a big box store. My .02.
Ken


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## jimbo (Dec 29, 2007)

AUTUMN BLAZE MAPLE ? no seeds? i hate those things!
i'm guessing that if it grows that fast, the roots would grow across
the top of the ground like the silver maples i had. & it may be a weak tree too.
wind storm this year took the complete top of 1 tree & most of the other 2. 
2nd yr in a row i had to replace my chain link fence.

although any tree should be alright for 25 yrs


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## aslongasitpullsback (Dec 30, 2005)

All maple are bad surface rooting trees.... try Linden's, Zelkova, River Birch, Honey Locust, sweet gum, American Hornbeam London Plaintree... there could be more but they allude me for the moment.....

As for the seed and nuts well there all going to produce some kind of offspring....


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