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.

Birches: River birch & Sweet birch (Betula nigra & B.lenta) – native trees; showy bark; yellow fall leaves.

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 lvs.

Lindens: Silver & Littleleaf lindens (Tilia tomentosa & T.cordata) – non-native trees; fragrant flowers.

Persian Ironwood (Parrotia) – a non-native with showy bark, tiny red winter blooms, colorful fall foliage.

Sweetgum (Liquidambar) – native tree with excellent fall color; cultivar ‘Rotundiloba’ has very few seeds.

Sweet Pignut Hickory (Carya glabra) – a native tree with showy fruits & gold fall foliage.

American Sycamore (Platinus occidentalis) – a native tree with heavily peeling, ornamental bark.

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 x hybrids) – use disease-resistant ‘Steller’ series with showy white or pink blooms. 

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 fall within hours.

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) – a native with tiny but showy pink flowers that bloom before leaves appear.

Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) – a native with wonderful fall colors; look for it at ‘native plant’ nurseries.

Seven Sons Flower (Heptacodium) – non-native; peeling bark, fragrant September blooms, 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.

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.

Highland Park Shade Tree Advisory Committee, December 2015