Vaccinium angustifolium (Lowbush Blueberry)

Plant community: Oak Hickory Forest

Native status: Native to the New England area

Mature size (height & width):

Height: 6” – 2ft

Width: 2 ft

Habitat/ Tolerances:

Heat tolerant

Fire adapted

Underground portions usually survive and can grow back

Tolerant of wet conditions

Minimal disease issues

Eco-indicator:

Hardiness zone: 3-8

Leaf color: Dark green leaves in the summer which turn reddish bronze in the fall

Flower color / bloom time: Has white flowers which bloom in May

Response to Climate Change:

Not many studies have been conducted on lowbush blueberry, but the plants population may increase due to and increase in warmer average temperatures.

Climate adaption rank: 5

Sources:

https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/vacang/all.html

http://hort.uconn.edu/detail.php?pid=518

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=vaan

Oxydendrum arboreum (Sourwood)

Plant community: Oak Hickory Forest

Native status: Native to eastern and southern United States

Mature size (height & width):

Height: 20-50 ft

Width: 10-25 ft

Habitat/ Tolerances:

Drought intolerant

Pollution intolerant

Intolerant of urban conditions

Tolerant to wet conditions

Eco-indicator:

Hardiness zone: 5-9

Leaf color: Leaves are dark green and will turn a mix of red and orange

Flower color / bloom time: White blooms which some out in June and July

Response to Climate Change:

Massachusetts is predicted to become more suitable habitat for Sourwood trees. Population expected to increase locally.

Climate adaption rank: -2

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

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a887

Qeurcus velutina (Black Oak)

Plant community: Oak Hickory Forest

Native status: Native to the Eastern United States

Mature size (height & width):

Height: 50-60 ft

Width: 50-60 ft

Habitat/ Tolerances:

Tolerant of urban conditions

Salt tolerant

Drought tolerant

Fire adapted

Poor drainage intolerant

Eco-indicator:

Hardiness zone: 3-9

Leaf color: Dark green leaves in the summer, which turn yellow-brown in the fall

Flower color / bloom time: Yellowish-green blooms which come out between April and May

Response to Climate Change:

Northern migration

Optimal precipitation, lack of plant competition, and occasional fires will enhance the survival rates of black oaks in some areas

Climate adaption applications:

The black oaks variety of tolerances (drought, fire etc.) make it a suitable tree to help adapt communities to climate impacts.

Climate adaption rank: 5

https://climate-woodlands.extension.org/will-black-oaks-survive-climate-change-in-the-midwest/

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d458

Acer rubrum ‘schlesingeri’ / Cultivator of Red Maple

The Acer rubrum is a tree species native to the eastern half of the North American continent. This tree produces pollen earlier than most other plants, and is thus critical to the survival of bees, among other pollen-dependent insects. It is a deciduous tree with a rounded crown, and is often found in wet bottomland in the northern extents of where it grows, but farther south and west it tends to grow in drier sites. The leaves are simple, alternate and three-lobed. Three mid-ribs radiate from the petiole to the center tips of each lobe, with alternating veins stretching outwards. The lobes have toothed margins with pointed tips, and the leaf is notable for its vivid fall colors. During the spring and summer the leaves are a dark green on top with a grayer green below. 

Due to Acer rubrum’s tolerance of wet soils, it serves as a popular choice to counter erosion, and is often used when re-landscaping an area or when trying to revegetate a habitat. The seeds of the Acer rubrum are popular foods for squirrels and birds  and thus provide significant amounts of nutrients to the habitat in which it resides. 

The soil-stabilizer attributes of this tree are also positive qualities for a treehouse or platform structure, as these would want to be located in a stable tree such as the Red Maple. Unfortunately though, the thickness and diameter of the trunk and branches of the Red Maple are unable to support a treehouse structure of any kind. This tree does provide good shade and is thus a valuable tree for a shade canopy over a picnic area, patio, or small deck.

Sources:

Missouri Botanical Garden: https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=j170

Common Name: Tulip Tree

Botanical Name: Liriodendron tulipifera

Native Region: Eastern North America - Missouri Botanical Garden

Mature Size:  Height: 60.00 to 90.00 feet, Spread: 30.00 to 50.00 feet - Missouri Botanical Garden

Hardiness Zones: 4-9

Preferred Growing Conditions:  Best grown in moist, organically rich, well-drained loams in full sun. Tolerates part shade. - Missouri Botanical Garden

Wildlife Uses: “White-tailed deer browse tuliptree during all seasons. Northern bobwhites, purple finches, cottontails, red squirrels, gray squirrels, and white-footed mice consume the samaras. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers use the phloem, and ruby-throated hummingbirds consume nectar from the flowers” - USDA Forest Service

Photo of Ruby Throated Hummingbird 

Common Name: American Linden

Botanical Name: Tilia americana

Native Region: Central and Eastern North America - Missouri Botanical Garden

Mature Size:  Height: 50.00 to 80.00 feet, Spread: 30.00 to 50.00 feet - Missouri Botanical Garden 

Hardiness Zones: 2-8 - Missouri Botanical Garden

Preferred Growing Conditions:  Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Tolerates some drought. Prefers moist, fertile, well-drained loams. Generally intolerant of air pollution and urban conditions. - Missouri Botanical Garden

Wildlife Uses: “American basswood is preferred browse for white-tailed deer. American basswood flowers are visited by honeybees for nectar. The easily decayed wood produces a disproportionate number of cavities which are used by cavity-nesting animals including wood ducks, pileated woodpeckers, other birds, and small mammals.” - US Forest Service 

Photo of: Wood Duck

Common Name: Pitch Pine

Botanical Name: Pinus rigida

Native Region: Eastern United States - USDA forest service

Mature Size: 40-70 ft (height), 30-50ft (spread) - Backyard Gardener (https://www.backyardgardener.com/plantname/pinus-rigida-pitch-pine/)

Hardiness Zones: 4-7 - Backyard Gardener

Preferred Growing Conditions: Prefers light, sandy, acid soils but is also found in peat swamps along the Atlantic coast. Salt tolerant.- Backyard Gardener 

Wildlife Uses: “ Pitch pine is an important food source for wildlife. Sprouts and seedlings serve as browse for deer (Odocoileus virginianus), cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus), and meadow mice (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Pine seeds are eaten by many species of birds and rodents including quail (Colinus virginianus), chickadees (Parus carolinensis), juncos (Juncos hyemalis) and mice (Peromyscus leucopus). Red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), rely so heavily on serotinous cones for food, they have created a selection pressure for cones with fewer seeds; serotinous cones produce fewer seeds in areas with high squirrel populations in order to discourage seed predation” - https://projects.ncsu.edu/project/dendrology/index/plantae/vascular/seedplants/gymnosperms/conifers/pine/pinus/australes/pitch/rigida.html 

Photo of Dark Eyed Junco: 

American Chestnut Castanea dentata

Plant community: Oak Hickory Forest

Native to Eastern North America

Found in Eastern North America

Mature size: 50-100’ high, 50-75’ canopy width

Habitat and growing conditions: Found in moist, well-drained soils in full sun. Lives in forest edges and forests.

Hardiness zone: Zones 5,6,7,8

Leaf color: green

Flower color: white

Medicinal uses:

·       Properties: astringent

·       Treatments: leaf infusion

·       Uses: Infusions were originally used to calm respiratory nerves and whooping cough

Sources:

Medicinal Botany by Walter Lewis and Memory Elvin-Lewis

http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/include/searchherb.php?herbsearch=castanea+dentata&x=0&y=0

https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CADE12

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a387