#build7

Sargent Oak

Quercus X Sargentii

Family:  Fagaceae Native Range: Japan, southern China Zone: 3 to 9 Height: 50.00 to 70.00 feet Spread: 30.00 to 60.00 feet Bloom Time: Non-flowering Bloom Description: nondescript catkins Sun: Full sun, not fussy though Water: Low-medium Maintenance: Low Leaf: Deciduous

This tree was one that I spotted from the top of Bussey Hill in the arboretum from a mile away. Not only was I just stunned by the immense size of the trunk, I was relieved to see a tree with most of its leaves still clinging on for dear life as its mid November in New England. The leaves reminded me of a swamp white oak or even a red oak, with their slick rounded edges and good color. The leaves allegedly in the summer are a dark leathery green so they score highly a 4 out of 4 for leaves. The bark is typical of many older oaks, deep furroughs, and a lighter gray color than the typical brown trunked tree. This tree if placed in a forest in New England could easily be overlooked unless it was of this size. It gets a 2 out of 3 due to its size. The bark scores a 2/3.

Bark: (1-3) 2

Leaves: (1-4) 4

Landscape uniqueness: (1-3) 2

Total: 8

Some trees I have documented have been hard to catergorize in the build category, because 1. no ones ever used the wood  or 2. its not big enough to be used for its wood. This one falls into the first category, as this tree is incredibly rare, and I don’t think it exists in nature. I would like a yard filled with them, but I don’t want to wait 150 years for them to look like this one. The closest relative to this tree is the Chestnut oak, or Quercus montana, and I will be analyzing that wood as such. The wood makes great cabinetry, furniture, interior trim, flooring, boat building, barrels, and veneer. There are plenty of workable uses to this wood, and it takes stain well, and is easily worked. I will award this one a 7 out of 10, and for the most part, there isn’t much use for many oak types in structural members, but it is a useful wood.

Source:

1. https://oikostreecrops.com/products/sargent-oak/

2. http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/1980-40-4-outstanding-plants-of-the-arnold-arboretum-quercus-x-sargentii.pdf

3. https://www.wood-database.com/chestnut-oak

Bur Oak

Quercus macrocarpa

Family: Fagaceae Native Range: Northern and central United States, southeastern Canada Zone: 3 to 8 Height: 60.00 to 80.00 feet Spread: 60.00 to 80.00 feet Bloom Time: April Bloom Description: Yellowish-green Sun: Full sun Water: Dry to medium Maintenance: Low

BUILD/BEAUTY

This Bur Oak is located in the Arnold Arboretum, where it stands tall being almost 70 years old. The bark of this tree has great ravines, and the top faces of the bark are flat and gray/brown. The top plates of the bark have breaks every foot or so creating a great mosaic of bark, getting a 2 out of 3 for score. The Leaves are similar to that of other oaks, that typical lobed leaf. The lobes of this oak are round, almost like a red oak leaf, except a little more pronounced. I will award a 2 out of 4 for the leaves. For landscape uniqueness, this oak gets a 1 out of 3, there is not much in terms of real unique character for this tree. The total score is a 4 out of 10 for beauty

Bark: (1-3) 2

Leaves: (1-4) 1

Landscape uniqueness: (1-3) 1

Total: 4

The Bur oak has  a respectable janka hardness score of 1,360lbs of force, making it quite the uneful hardwood, and is even native to North America. This tree is closely related to that of the White Oak, so its properties and uses will be similar. The common uses of bur oak include cabinetry and furniture as its main uses but its also used for interior trim, flooring, boat building, barrels, and veneer. The bur oak is good to work with and it has been cultivated for its lumber, making this tree score a reputable 7 out of 10 for build score, but loses points with a lower end MOE of 1,040,000 lbf/in2

Source: 

1. https://www.wood-database.com/bur-oak/

2. https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=874

Pond Cypress

Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium ‘nutans’

Family: Cupressaceae Native Range: Southeastern United States Zone: 5-9 Height: 30.00 to 70.00 feet Spread: 15.00 to 20.00 feet Bloom Time: Non-flowering Bloom Description: Non-flowering Sun: Full sun Water: Medium to wet Maintenance: Low

BUILD/BEAUTY

This tree is in the Arnold Arboretum, off the Maple trail. I spotted it from a far, and knew I had to bag and tag this tree. The tree stood tall in a swamp, so clearly likes its feet wet. I had to crawl in to this swamp to get the tag picture, it was a labor of love. The bark is reminiscent of a sequoia or redwood, flaky and red in color. I award this tree a 2 out of 3 for its cool colored bark. The leaves (more like needles) are a rust color from the fall, when they do in fact fall off. It looks like a dead evergreen, but in a good way. It gets a 3 out of 4 for the leaves (needles). For landscape uniqueness this tree gets a 3 out of 3, for it looks phenomenal in the fall, as well has a southern swamp aura about it. The total score is an 8 out of 10.

Bark: (1-3) 2

Leaves: (1-4) 3

Landscape uniqueness: (1-3) 3

Total: 8

The bald cypress’ wood is not the hardest in the world, scoring a 510lb on the janka hardness scale. This tree grows exceptionally tall and the trunk round too, so I would expect this wood to be rot resistant as it likes growing in wet feet. Tear out is easy so machine working is needed with sharp tools and a steady hand. Some of the uses of bald cypress include exterior construction, docks, boat building, interior trim, and veneer. The MOE of the cypress is, 1,440,000 lbf/in2, a pretty good score for a soft wood. The tree actually has some good construction qualities, getting a rating of 7 out of 10 for buildability.

Source:

1. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b439

2. https://www.conifers.org/cu/Taxodium_distichum_imbricatum.php

Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum

Common Name: sugar maple   Type: Tree Family: Sapindaceae Native Range: Eastern North America Zone: 3 to 8 Height: 40.00 to 80.00 feet Spread: 30.00 to 60.00 feet Bloom Time: April Bloom Description: Greenish Sun: Full sun to part shade Water: Medium Maintenance: Medium

BUILD/BEAUTY

The Sugar Maple is a local staple of the economy here in New England. Its sugary sap contributing to maple syrup, which is great on pancakes, waffles, and other great breakfast foods. No, not even the delicious nature could save this tree from mediocrity in the beauty category. Its leaves get a 2 out of 4, the canadian flag is the easiest to find a maple leaf, as this tree had already lost most of its leaves. The bark is probably the coolest part of this tree in my opinion, with a sharp mountainous looking bark. The bark scores a 2 out of 3 for this category due to it being so deeply cut and plated, but its age is also attributed to this. The landscape uniqueness lacks greatly with this tree, its pretty average if you ask me, sugar maples are pretty unassuming in a landscape, earning a 1 out of 3, for a combined score of 5 out of 10.

Bark: (1-3) 2

Leaves: (1-4) 2

Landscape uniqueness: (1-3) 1

Total: 5

The Sugar maple, or Hard Maple, has some great dimensional properties. It scores a 1,450lb on the janka hardness scale, easily putting its self into the hardwood category. Some of the most common uses for sugar maple is in flooring, especially that of which will have impacts, such as sporting courts, dance floors, ect. The hard maple has a MOD of 1,830,000 lbf/in2, which is a pretty high score. The wood also makes great baseball bats, as they are light and strong, the choice of Louisville slugger bats. It can have dimensional properties as a structural member and has been used in framing as such, so this tree scores a 7 out of 10 for build score.

Source:

1. https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/treedetail.cfm?itemID=870

2. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=h240

Thornless Honey Locust

Gleditsia triacanthos form inermis

Family (Botanic): Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae) Tree or Plant Type: Tree Foliage: Deciduous  Native Locale: Chicago area, Illinois, North America Landscape Uses: Parkway/street, Shade tree, Specimen Size Range: Large tree  Mature Height: 30-70 feet Mature Width: 30-70 feet Light Exposure: Full sun  Hardiness Zones: Zone 4-10

BUILD/BEAUTY

This honeylocust is of the thornless variety, which makes it a better option to be planted in a public space. Lets discuss some history of this plant. This is one of the remnants of the flora that was around during the ice age, and its thawing. The large spikes on many of the other varieties are protection from megafauna eating its leaves. Speaking of its leaves, the compound alternate leaves are a telltale sign that this tree is a honey locust. I would say its leaves are its best quality, in that it scores a 3 out of 4 for its leaf category. Its bark is plated, and grey, reminiscent of a hickory with less flake. It gets a 1 out of 3 for bark. The uniqueness would be much higher if it was the scary thorny variety, but instead we have the watered down version here, which only scores a 1 out of 3, for a compound beauty score of 5 out of 10.

Bark: (1-3) 1

Leaves: (1-4) 3

Landscape uniqueness: (1-3) 1

Total: 5

The honey locust is a hard wood, scoring a 1580lb score on the janka hardness scale. The locust wood is hard to work with hand and machine tools due to its density, but it still can have good results with perseverance and time. Some of its most common uses include furniture, fence posts, utility lumber, and turned objects. The wood has good rot resistance without much treatment or special potions, so it can withstand the elements long after its been sawed into small pieces. This wood is not exactly the most common wood for woodworking, so the pricing will be on the mid range to higher end. I will award this tree a 7 out of 10 for its build score, due to its hardness and rot resistance, although it is uncommon in building materials such as dimensional lumber.

Source:

1. https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=852

2. https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/thornless-honey-locust

Eastern Hemlock

Tsuga Canadensis

Family: Pinaceae Tree or Plant Type: Shrub, Tree Foliage: Evergreen  Native Locale: Chicago area, North America Size Range: Large tree  Mature Height: 40-70 feet Mature Width: 25-35 feet Light Exposure: Full sun, Partial sun/shade , Full shade  Hardiness Zones: Zone 3-7 Soil Preference: Moist, well-drained soil

BUILD/BEAUTY

This eastern hemlock I found easily in my backyard, and keyed it out using my handy dandy tree finder. This example pictured above is a young specimen, and these trees can live upwards of 400+ years if left untouched. They remain small in the under story until the canopy opens up and they shoot up to take its place. This tree has good bark, similar to other local pines and conifers. The young example didn’t show how good it is, but online mature examples do a better job, it earns a 1 out of 3. The pine needles arrange themselves flat as seen above, which look lovely, getting a 2 out of 4. The landscape uniqueness is in the fact that its a new young evergreen in a heavily wooded beech forest, earning a 2 out of 3 for a total of 5 out of 10.

Bark: (1-3) 1

Leaves: (1-4) 2

Landscape uniqueness: (1-3) 2

Total: 5

The building characteristics are similar to that of many other coniferous trees. This tree’s most common uses include boxes, pallets, plywood, framing, and other construction purposes. The wood is used in lumber for building, although its workability isn’t ideal for planing and sanding. There are thousands of hemlock cultivars that grow faster, straighter and stronger, so this particular eastern hemlock isn’t grown commercially for that purpose but it does in fact produce dimensional members that are used in light wood framing. This tree gets a 7 out of 10 for a building material.

Source: 

1. https://www.wood-database.com/eastern-hemlock/

2. https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/eastern-hemlock

Sycamore

Botanical name: Platanus occidentalis All Common Names: sycamore, buttonwood, American planetree, buttonball tree Family (English): Sycamore; planetree Family (Botanic): Platanaceae Planting Site: Residential and parks, City parkway, Wide median Tree or Plant Type: Tree Foliage: Deciduous (seasonally loses leaves) Native Locale: Chicago area, North America Landscape Uses: Parkway/street, Shade tree, Specimen Size Range: Large tree (more than 40 feet) Mature Height: 75-100 feet Mature Width: 50-70 feet Light Exposure: Full sun (6 hrs direct light daily), Partial sun/shade (4-6 hrs light daily) Hardiness Zones: Zone 4, Zone 5 (Chicago), Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9

BUILD/BEAUTY

This particular tree photographed is right outside my apartment in Somerville. It makes a great street tree, as you can see this one is at least 30-40 years old. I kept seeing these large leaves on the ground, and initially I thought it was a type of maple. I keyed it out using the tree finder, and came up with Sycamore, aligning with many pictures online. There are a few interesting characteristics to this tree. The bark as it ages gets this spotted appearance of different shades of grey. The leaves and twigs are more reminiscent of grape groves to me, the way they are so wiry. They are also very dense, creating a grapevine like effect. 

Bark: (1-3) 3

Leaves: (1-4) 3

Landscape uniqueness: (1-3) 1

Total: 7

As for a building material, sycamore wood is particularly useful. The most common uses include veneer, plywood,  interior trim, pallets/crates, flooring, furniture, particleboard, and paper. 

here is a look at a quartersawn piece of unsealed sycamore wood:

(photo source: https://www.wood-database.com/sycamore/)

I will award this hardwood a score of 7 out of 10, for its many uses, as well as hardwood properties. This wood could be turned into structural members as well, so it can be a legitimate building material.

Source:

https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/sycamore

https://www.wood-database.com/sycamore/

Black Cherry

Botanical name: Prunus serotina All Common Names: black cherry, wild black cherry Family (English): Rose Family (Botanic): Rosaceae Planting Site: Residential and parks Tree or Plant Type: Tree Foliage: Deciduous (seasonally loses leaves) Native Locale: Chicago area, Illinois, North America Landscape Uses: Shade tree, Specimen Size Range: Large tree (more than 40 feet) Mature Height: 50-60 feet Mature Width: 20-30 feet Light Exposure: Full sun (6 hrs direct light daily), Partial sun/shade (4-6 hrs light daily) Hardiness Zones: Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5 (Chicago), Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9

BUILD/BEAUTY

The black cherry isn’t a particularly good looking tree. This example pictured above has been covered by the beach dunes, as sand piles up and covers the branches, it creates the illusion that the tree is more of a ground shrub, when in reality, it is just as big as any other deciduous tree. The bark in its outer, most juvenile branches consists of a dark, almost maroon shiny bark, with plenty of scarring. The older bark looks much more similar to any other deciduous. The tree does flower in beautifully in the spring, and produce good looking and tasty fruit, they create a mess on my car every summer, so it loses points in my book. I will give it a 5 out of 10

Bark: (1-3) 2

Leaves: (1-4) 2

Landscape uniqueness: (1-3) 1

Total: 5

As for its build quality, the black cherry does surprisingly well. this cherry is known as being one of the best all-around woods. It is straight-grained, and machines well. it is especially common in cabinetry as well as flooring. here is a look at a laminated piece.

(Photo Source: https://www.woodworkerssource.com/lumber/cherry.html)

I will award this tree a build score of 7 out of ten, as its widely grown just for its lumber, rather than its fruiting bodies, but loses points as it doesn’t have great dimensional qualities as a building material. The wood is considered a hardwood though. It ages well and will get darker as it develops (cabinetry, flooring)

Source:

https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/black-cherry

https://www.wood-database.com/black-cherry/