APPENDIX B: TREES PROHIBITED FOR PLANTING ALONG PUBLIC RIGHTS-OF-WAY

Note: There are some trees on this list of prohibited plants that are excellent for use in yards and parks; however, for one reason or another, such as being evergreen or producing an abundance of undesirable fruits, they are not suitable for planting along streets. Species on this list and species not included on the approved lists may, under certain circumstances, be planted along streets if advance approval is given by the Street and Alley Department and the Shade Tree Committee. The reasons for including species on the prohibited list is given below in parentheses.

Abies Species	All Species and Varieties of Firs (Evergreen)
Acer Negundo	Box Elder (Weak Wood, Disease Problems)
Acer Platanoides	Norway Maple (Disease Problems)
Acer Saccarinum	Silver Maple (Weak Wood, Disease Problems)
Aesculus Glabra	Ohio Buckeye (Messy Fruit)
Ailanthus Altissima	Tree of Heaven (Weak Wood, Extremely Weedy)
Albizia Julibrissio	Mimosa Tree, Silk Tree (Not Hardy)
Betula Papyrifera	Paper-bark Birch, White Birch, Canoe Birch (Disease Problems and Insect Pests)
Betula Pendula	European White Birch (Disease Problems, Insect Pests)
Betula Pigra	River Birch, Red Birch (Disease Problems, Insect Pests)
Carya Species	All Species and Varieties of Hickories and Pecans (Messy Fruit)
Castanea Species	All Species and Varieties of Chestnuts (Messy Fruit)
Catalpa Bignonoides	Catalpa (Weak Wood, Messy Fruit)
Catalpa Speciosa	Catalpa (Weak Wood, Messy Fruit)
Cercis Capadepsis	Redbud (Weak Crotching, Difficulty in “Raising” for Vehicular Traffic)
Crataegus Species	Hawthorns (Thorns), Thornless Varieties Are Acceptable
Elaeagnus Angustifolia	Russian Olive (Disease Problems)
Fagus Grandiflora	American Beech (Messy Fruit, Too Large)
Fagus Sylvatica	European Beech (Messy Fruit, Too Large); Columnar Forms Are Acceptable
Fraxinus Pennsylvanica	Green Ash
Ginkgo Biloba	Female Ginkgo Trees (Messy Fruit); Male Trees Acceptable
Gladitsia Triacanthos	Honey Locust (Disease Problems, Insect Pests)
Gymnocladus Dioicus	Female Kentucky Coffee Tree (Messy Fruit); Male Trees Are Acceptable
Ilex Opaca	American Holly (Evergreen, Insect Pests)
Juniperus Species	All Species and Varieties of Junipers and Cedars (Evergreen)
Juglans Species	App Species and Varieties of Walnuts, Butternuts, and Pecans (Messy Fruit)
Maclura Pomifera	Osage Orange, Hedge-apple (Thorns, Messy Fruit); Thornless, Male Varieties Are Acceptable
Magnolia - Soulangiana	Saucer Magnolia (Low Branching and Spread)
Malus Species	All Large-fruited Apples and Apples Susceptible Scab Disease and Fire Blight
Morus Species	All (Messy Fruit)
Paulownia Tomentosa	Empress Tree, Royal Paulownia (Not Hard)
Picea Species	All Species and Varieties of Spruces (Evergreen)
Pinus Species	All Species and Varieties of Pines (Evergreen)
Platapus Z Acerifolia	London Plane Tree (Disease Problems)
Platapus Occidentalis	Sycamore (Disease Problems)
Populus Species	All (Weak Wood, Messy Fruit)
Prunus Species	All Cherries and Plums, Except as on Approved Lists (Disease Problems, Messy Fruit, Short-lived)
Pseudotsuga Menziesii	Douglas Fir (Evergreen)
Pyrus Communis	All Large-fruited Pears (Disease Problems, Messy Fruit)
Quercus Palustris	Pin Oak (Often Has Iron Chlorosis Locally)
Robinia Pseudoacacia	Black Locust (Messy Fruit, Disease Problems, and Insect Pests)
Salix Species	All Willows (Weak Wood, Messy)
Sophora Japonica	Japanese Pagoda Tree (Questionably Hardy)
Sorbus Aucuparia	Mountain Ash (Fire Blight)
Thuja Species	All Species and Varieties of Arborvitaes (Evergreen)
Tilia Cordats	Littleleaf Linden (Branch Angles, Difficulty in “Raising” for Vehicular Clearance)
Tsuga Species	All Hemlocks (Evergreen)
Ulmus Americana	American Elm (Dutch Elm Disease)
Ulmus Pumila	Siberian Elm, Erroneously Called Chinese Elm (Weak Wood, Messy)
Ulmus Rubra or Fulva	Red Elm, Slippery Elm (Disease Problems)

 

TREES PROHIBITED FOR PLANTING ALONG STREETS

Apple: All Large-fruited Apples and Apples Susceptible to Scab Disease and Fire Blight

Arborvitae: All

Ash: Green

Beech: All Except Columnar Species

Birch: All

Box Elder

Buckeye, Ohio

Catalpa

Cedar: All

Cherry: All Except on Approved Lists

Chestnut: All

Cottonwood: All

Crab Apple: See Restrictions under “Apple”

Douglas Fir

Elm: American, Red or Slippery, Siberian

Empress Tree

Fir: All

Ginkgo: Female Trees

Hawthorn: All Except Thornless Varieties

Hedge-apple

Hemlock: All

Hickory: All

Holly, American

Horsechestnut

Japanese Pagoda Tree

Juniper: All

Kentucky Coffee Tree: Female

Linden: Littleleaf

Locust: Black, Honey

London Plane Tree

Magnolia: Southern or Evergreen, Saucer

Maple, Norway

Maple, Silver

Mimosa Tree

Mountain Ash

Mulberry: All

Oak: Pun

Osage Orange

Pear: All Large-fruited Pears

Pecan

Pine: All

Plum: All

Poplar: All

Redbud

Royal Paulownia

Russian Olive

Silk Tree

Spruce: All

Sycamore: All

Tree-of-heaven

Walnut: All

Willow: All

 

TREES BY COMMON NAMES

Note: The official lists are those above using the more precise scientific names; these lists of trees by common names are unofficial but are provided for the convenience of the lay person.

Medium to Large Trees Approved for Planting

Ash: Blue, White, Hesse European

Alder: European, Italian

Baldcypress

Basswood: American

Black Tupelo

Corktree: Amur

Cucumber Tree

Elm: Lacebark

Filbert: Turkish

Ginkgo: Only Male Trees

Hackberry

Hardy Rubber Tree

Japanese Zelkova

Katsura Tree

Kentucky Coffee Tree: Only Male Trees

Linden: American, Crimea, Silver

Maidenhair Tree (Ginkgo): Only Male Trees

Maple: Black, Red, Sugar

Oak: Burr, English, Red, Scarlet, Shingle, Swamp White, White

Sassafras

Sour Gum

Sugar Hackberry

Sweetgum

Tuliptree

Yellowwood

Small Trees Approved for Planting

Bladdernut: American

Carolina Silverbell

Cherry-sargent, Japanese Flowering

Crabapple (Only Those Resistant to Apple Scab and Fire Blight)

Dogwood: Flowering, Pagoda

European Hornbeam

Goldenraintree

Hophornbeam

Hornbeam

Ironwood

Japanese Tree Lilac

Magnolia: Laurel or Sweetbay

Maple: Amur, Hedge, Miyabe, Paperbark, Tatarian, Trident

Musclewood

Serviceberry: Tree Form

Shadbusk