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Trees in Calgary

Mountain Man said:
The biggest killer of trees in Calgary is likely the early fall and late spring frosts we get. I still find it funny that big Maples don't do well here, but they are a symbol of the country lol. I think I've seen 1 or 2 sugar Maples here ever, and lots of Manitoba Maple.
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I have never seen a true maple tree grow in Calgary. Manitoba Maples don't produce the same large leaves that turn brilliant red in the fall.
 
I've only seen a couple sugar maples but i've seen a fair number of mature Norway, silver, red and red x silver maples. I've also seen butternut, black walnut, horse chestnut, honey locust, and pin oak to name a few. I honestly think maples are underplanted and will thrive if you plant it in a good location and dont let it dry out
 
DougB said:
Calgary would gave longer days that southern Ontario until the third week of Sep. The leaves seem to start changing earlier in Calgary than Edmonton most years. Lots of European cities north of Calgary have trees that retain their leaves well into October and November. Daylight hours can't be the only factor.

I always assumed that trees that grow well in Calgary are those late to leaf out and early to drop as that protects against the freak frosts and snowfalls. Climate change and urban hear island should have profound impacts on Calgary as even slight warming would significantly reduce the occurance of April/May and Sep/Oct frosts and snowfall.
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Daylight hours are the general factor when it comes to leaves staying on trees, but it depends on the variety of tree, and the weather of a given year. Calgary is probably an outlier compared to most places as the fall weather can have drastic dips some years. It also depends on the variety of tree, for example Amsterdam is a bit further north than Calgary, and many of their trees do lose leaves earlier than Calgary, despite being in a more temperate climate. I'm guessing there are some shrubs in Amsterdam that are still green in the December due to the temperate climate (like one would see in Vancouver). There are also other factors, trees also grow slower in general due to cooler overnight temps compared to other places. The freeze/thaw cycle is hard on almost all trees.

Different factors for different varieties but the point being if trees get decent water they can grow here despite early frosts or other challenges.
 
Surrealplaces said:
Daylight hours are the general factor when it comes to leaves staying on trees, but it depends on the variety of tree, and the weather of a given year. Calgary is probably an outlier compared to most places as the fall weather can have drastic dips some years. It also depends on the variety of tree, for example Amsterdam is a bit further north than Calgary, and many of their trees do lose leaves earlier than Calgary, despite being in a more temperate climate. I'm guessing there are some shrubs in Amsterdam that are still green in the December due to the temperate climate (like one would see in Vancouver). There are also other factors, trees also grow slower in general due to cooler overnight temps compared to other places. The freeze/thaw cycle is hard on almost all trees.

Different factors for different varieties but the point being if trees get decent water they can grow here despite early frosts or other challenges.
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When I was a kid we used to water the trees in the yard, and they grew much faster than the neighbors who had the same crabapple trees planted at the same time. In the course of about 20 years, my parents' trees were somewhere between 50% to 100% larger than the neighbors and much healthier. My parents stopped watering the trees when they were put on a meter, but by then they were large and mature, and probably didn't need to be watered.
 
Atticus said:
When I was a kid we used to water the trees in the yard, and they grew much faster than the neighbors who had the same crabapple trees planted at the same time. In the course of about 20 years, my parents' trees were somewhere between 50% to 100% larger than the neighbors and much healthier. My parents stopped watering the trees when they were put on a meter, but by then they were large and mature, and probably didn't need to be watered.
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Exactly. I remember the city planting trees along our street to replace some poplars that were taken down. A couple of people used to water the ones in front of their house and those ones grew faster than the others. Still with Calgary you have a lot of environmentals. Soil in some parts of the city isn't great and you've got less precipitation. I've heard Chinooks are bad for trees generally and we have a shorter growing season, yet trees still grow here. It's just harder.
 
Bur Oaks are slowly being planted more around the city though most are still very young. I think these trees have some of the most beautiful foliage, and also provide snacks for the urban wildlife. If only they were first planted instead of poplars these trees would provide Calgary with amazing boulevards.

This bur oak in Crescent Heights is an example:

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The funny thing about Calgary is you can be standing in a grove of Douglas firs on the south slope of the Bow and across the valley its fescue grassland. It largely comes down to shelter from the wind and sun. If you have a harsh exposure, the soil dries up and trees struggle to grow. But most neighbourhoods provide enough shelter to support good tree coverage and growth. I really hope the City takes tree diversity more seriously though. It's only a matter of time before are ash and elm get hit with a bad pest or disease.
 
Silence&Motion said:
I get why there's a difference. It still brings me to tears to see how dramatic it looks visually. Most of those damned trees on Patterson Blvd are exactly the same size they were ten years ago!!
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You see too much of that around Calgary. The city will plant some trees along a boulevard and they look the same 20 years later. :(
 
Calgary does seem to lack most requirements to grow large trees though few pockets of them can be found around the inner city. I was walking around Roxboro and I felt like I was in Vancouver or Toronto when looking at the size of some trees.

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These american elms are massive

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This green Ash is one of the largest I have seem in Calgary and the spread of the canopy covers the entire road

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Manitoba Maples have unlikeable characteristics - but this is one have been so well taken care of I didn't realize it was a maple, until inspection!

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Yep - I wish Calgary had more boulevard sized trees like these

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I took a picture of this Green Ash just of 5a Street SW the other day - this Ash is 106 years old - can we call this old growth? Sadly most Green Ash in their native range cant even reach this size, one "good" thing Calgary has is cold winters...!
 
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