STAC strongly suggests planting native trees, but we've included some non-native species that are not invasive.
The following list of trees has both Common and Scientific (Latin) names. Evergreens are listed separately.
Shade Trees - These will eventually become tall and wide and will require more space.
American Sycamore (Platinus occidentails) - a native tree with heavily peeling, ornamental bark.
Birches: River birch & Sweet birch (Betula nigra & B.lenta) – native trees; showy bark; yellow fall leaves.
Lindens: Silver & Littleleaf lindens (Tilia tomentosa & T.cordata) – non-native trees; fragrant flowers.
Maples: Sugar maple, Red maple (Acer saccharum & A.rubrum) – native trees with excellent fall color.
Oaks: Pin, Red, Scarlet, Willow & White oaks (Quercus species) - native; Red & Scarlet have red fall leaves.
Persian Ironwood (Parrotia) – a non-native with showy bark, tiny red winter blooms.
Pignut Hickory (Carya glabra) – a native tree with showy fruits & gold fall foliage.
Sweetgum (Liquidambar) – native tree with excellent fall color; cultivar ‘Rotundiloba’ has very few seeds.
Tuliptree (Liriodendron) – a native tree that gets very tall with flowers high in canopy & yellow fall color.
Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) – a native that tolerates wet soils & if grown in sun, has good red fall color.
Yellowwood (Cladrastis lutea) – a native tree with fragrant white flower clusters & gold fall color.
Smaller, Ornamental &/or Flowering Trees - These trees require less space.
Carolina Silverbell (Halesia carolina) – a native understory (shade-tolerant) tree with white flowers.
Dogwoods - Cornus florida & Cornus x hybrids; white or pink booms on disease resistant Steller Series.
European Hornbeam (Carpinus betula) – non-native; the cultivar ‘Fastigiata’ perfect for narrow sites.
Ginkgo – this prehistoric ‘conifer’ has separate male & female trees; gold fall leaves.
Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) – a native that tolerates deep shade; has muscular bark, good fall color.
Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia) – small native tree has bright red bottle-brush flowers & yellow fall foliage.
Redbud (Cercis canadensis) – native with tiny but showy flowers before leaves appear.
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) – a native with wonderful fall colors; find at ‘native plant’ nurseries.
Seven Sons Flower (Heptacodium) – non-native; peeling bark, fragrant September blooms, showy red calyces.
Serviceberry (Amelanchier) – a native tree with lovely white flowers, edible fruit, red fall color.
Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra) – a native with bright red fall color and decorative, edible sumac berries.
Smoketree (Cotinus obovatus) – a native tree with smoke-like puffs of bloom and wonderful fall color.
Sourwood (Oxydendrun arboretum) – a native with creamy white flowers, scarlet fall foliage; plant young.
Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) – a native with fragrant white flowers; tolerates wet soil;
Trees to Avoid & reasons why:
Ash tree & Fringetree – 2 native species vulnerable to attack by Emerald ash borer &/or Asian long-horned beetles. Until they can be safely planted the boro suggests not planting new ones.
Zelkova – a non-native tree planted extensively in NJ and which has now become invasive.
Norway maple – a non-native tree which is now very invasive in the northeast USA.
Suggested Evergreen Trees for Highland Park
American Holly (Ilex opaca) – a native species with dark green glossy leaves; berries on female trees only if pollinated by a male tree in the neighborhood. (Ilex species have separate male and female plants.)
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) – a native tree with dense sprays of flat feathered foliage and male & female cones; can slowly grow to 50 feet; it tolerates moist soil.
Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia) – A conifer but not an evergreen as it loses its needles yearly. Originally from Asia, now extinct in the wild, the species grows fast; the flat soft needles turn copper color in fall.
Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) – a graceful native evergreen; should be watched for infestation of Wooly adelgid, but can be sprayed to protect it from this pest.
Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) – a commonly found native, fast and easy to grow; they are numerous in our area, many grown from seeds dispersed by wind and various animals; aromatic blue fruits that birds eat.
White Pine (Pinus strobus) – the largest northeastern conifer, this has long soft needles in bunches of 5; mature pine cones can be 6-8 inches long.
American Sycamore (Platinus occidentalis) – a native tree with heavily peeling, ornamental bark.
American Sycamore (Platinus occidentalis) – a native tree with heavily peeling, ornamental bark.