I wasn't going to respond to your post because I'm not too familiar with your particular zone, but when I was reading the first paragraph of your post, I thought ginkgo (before reading your second paragraph). I'll vote for the ginkgo.

Oaks are very attractive to gypsy moths, but so many trees are that there seems little point restricting your choices to things that Gypsy moth will not touch unless you happen to have frequent severe outbreaks.

The burr oak is, of course, an excellent tree, and would likely handle this location well. It, like all oaks, is a favored food of gypsy moth caterpillars however.

There are a great many trees to choose from. Dawn redwood could make for an interesting street tree. Likewise, bald cypress. Freeman maple, ie. "Autumn Blaze" could fit the bill. Usually a good red fall color on this one. Back to the oaks, I'm partial to swamp white oak. Fast-growing, as oaks go, nice bark, interesting leaves (Whitish silver on their undersides) and very good structure.

There's more. Just thought I'd get a few ideas rolling.

+oM

You know, I am very partial to Kentucky Coffeetree. It has interesting bark and is tough and pest-resistant. I love the huge compound leaves and the fragrant, if not particularly showy flowers.

The form of mature trees is beautiful, most importantly. It is not noted for its fall color, but it still has better fall color than bur oak and tree lilac, often turning a nice yellow. The seedpods (on female trees ) persist for a long time and are very ornamental in my opinion. It is late to leaf out, a plus for turf growth under it. Drawbacks are the young trees are have an awkward adolescence, the large compound leaves may cause a bit of litter and may send up root sprouts, but that is rare and if the area is mowed never really seen.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kentucky coffeetree

Resistance to EAB is easy...just don't plant ash. A truly devastating pest, but one that is easy to deal with.

The other two are a slight bit more problematic, but nowhere near as devastating. True resistance to both Japanese Beetle and Gypsy Moth is difficult to achieve; however, getting a few of these bugs is not going to truly harm the tree, unless the numbers get large and maintain for successive seasons.

My personal choice would be for one of the elms. Much progress has been made over the decades in combating DED, and while purists regret the paucity of truly resistant "pure" American elm varieties (most are hybrids that come out of breeding programs with a family tree that looks like a circle), elms have a shape the lends well to life as a street tree.

Oaks are terribly underplanted, sorely misunderstood trees of heritage and majesty. Never a good choice...merely superlative.

I'd check a local nursery and start a conversation. See what's available. Since you are planting in a boulevard median, check with your municipality...some have recommendations of what trees to plant in what areas, or what trees to avoid, and some cities and states have programs to help pay for the cost, or caliber requirements.

A quick check with the local tree commission will reveal much. If they have a solid program, cherish it. Value the information and quidelines they give. The most important thing in urban forestry, where we have a choice of what to plant, is that we no longer merely one or two species. Diversity is a valuable thing, capable of saving us from devastating outbreaks. I'd like to say we've learned our lessnons, but I know better.

Two other trees worthy of greater use as street trees...Eucommia ulmoides and Corylus colurna.

Sorry, I don't think an Oak would be happy for long in a 5' strip. It is not going to live to be old, no place for the great root spread needed for the canopy.

Neither would the Dawn Redwood be happy long, they are LARGE at the base. The city-planted one I saw in New York State had heaved the sidewalk badly and it was probably only 60 years old. Because it was so big, I aged it on when the seeds got more commonly available, which wasn't that long ago. Still was a couple feet across with gnarly roots reaching out. Probably will have to be cut with tree outgrowing the space. Lovely specimen, but not a good location.

Ginko sounds fine, slow growing, very tolerant to road conditions from what I heard. Don't have one.

Catalpa is very popular street tree here, with big flowers in spring and they do grow to a good size, even in the median strip. We get a great show with flowers locally. They do drop bean seeds in fall, but don't seem to be a bother for most folks.

Sycamore and London Plane tree have great bark colors, big leaves, are used as street trees, but get to a LARGE size. Sweet Gum have pretty leaves, good color, funny seed balls in the fall. Hickory has nice nuts, shaggy bark for interest, yellow fall color. Can get tall, but slowly. All are fairly easy to grow, hardy, long lived.

I would not have any maple even as a gift, way over-planted. You want something different, to diversify the plantings in your area.

Checking with the city sounds great. They may offer you a selection to choose from and even plant it for you! Being on the road side, it will actually be their tree regardless of who pays for it with right-of-way laws. You can help with watering it often, getting a better start.

>Neither would the Dawn Redwood be happy long, they are LARGE at the base. >The city-planted one I saw in New York State had heaved the sidewalk badly >and it was probably only 60 years old.

It couldn't be any older, the first Dawn redwoods were planted in the US in the late 1940's :)

Thank you all for your responses. I think I have ruled out the bur oak. I think you are probably right that there is not enough room for it. Sigh.

I have talked to our city horticulturist, who I have worked with before through my garden club, and she said the city will not help with the purchase of a tree of my choosing. Usually after a development is mostly finished they come through and plant either one or two different trees all the way up and down the block. I would like to avoid that, and she said if I have one planted before they get there they will leave it alone (an added plus is I get to choose the location in my front yard).

Maybe I can pick your brains about your tree suggestions a little bit more. I looked up your suggestions in Dirr's manual of trees and was wondering first about the Kentucky Coffee Tree. Do you think if I waited to select one from a nursery until their trees were changing color I could pick one that would have good fall color when it was older? Would this be too late in the season to plant this tree?

About the Sycamores and London Plane Tree I was wondering exactly how messy these can be? I can tolerate alot, however I don't want my neighbors to hate me if I plant one.

The hickory seemed also like a good suggestion. With its tap root it may be happy in this area.

About the Elms, I will have to give my local nursery another look. Do you have a variety you would suggest?

The Eucommia and Corylus colurna sound like nice trees, but in my small town I don't know how likely I am to find them. I hope I can.

I think I will avoid the swamp white oak as we have many in the neighborhood natively and the maple just because it seems to be the first choice of the city and all of my neighbors who have planted new trees.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond with your suggestions!

An elm is a very good choice. I planted a princeton elm at my summerhouse in michigan and it has grown ten feet so far in two growing seasons. It's fall foliage is just average turning yellow in fall, however elms are one of the first trees to leaf up in the spring, and the princeton elm is resistant to dutch elm disease. Two other trees to consider that grow more upright and aren't round like a typical maple are a tulip poplar or a gum tree. Both would be unique for your block, have good fall color and live a long life (50+ years). The Kentucky Coffee Tree would be a good choice too. I hope this helps you out.

I wouldn't plant anything that might drop large nuts, seed pods, cones, and other large 'missiles' into the street and sidewalk. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists don't take kindly to that.

Please be mindful that trees lose those 'taproots' as they mature, in exchange for a wide spreading, shallow, fibrous root system. 5' is awfully narrow for many trees, but they won't hesitate to send roots under the road and sidewalk.

What's the situation with overhead utility lines?

Michigan has an Urban and Community Forestry council. You ought to contact them about a list of good street trees for your location.

I hope you don't diss the swamp white oak simply because it is common. I have one planted in my back yard. Cant imagine it in a little 5ft strip tho. Maybe you should give up the idea of some huge tree, and plant something suitable. Small leaf Lindens and crab apple seem to be doing well in my subdivision. Also, hop hornbeam and locust.
I am not a big fan of maples, but love Elm and Ash, both of which are under attack from something.

Maybe you will want to be different, and plant a white birch. They top the beauty chart, tolerate clay, and love wet soil. So, do you care if they only live 50 years instead of 100?

As to your question. The answer is NO.

Pondy

Hi Pondy - sorry, there was no diss intended towards the swamp white oak. We just have many in the backyard and I thought it would be fun to try something else. I think the swamp white oak a very fine tree. :)

rhizo 1 - thanks for the forestry council suggestion. Will have to look into that. Also, we do not have any overhead utility lines.

I am going to a nursery in a neighboring town this weekend that I heard has a decent selection. I'll let you know what I find.

Many good suggestions here. I have no real bias towards the oaks-I'm a conifer man at heart-but would like to clear up one misconception that has popped up here. True, a 5-foot terrace is far from an ideal site for a large-growing tree, like most oaks, etc. But that does not mean that they can't be planted there, or that they shouldn't. If this logic were followed to its' logical conclusion, nearly all street trees in the nation would be unviable, and we know that is not the case. As Bboy has stated, such trees do not stop their root growth at the sidewalk. Yes, this can create problems, like heaving. All street tree planting represents a series of compromises.

+oM

One more to consider, if you'd like something a little different, would be Burgundy Flush (or Burgundy Blush) Chinese Sweetgum (Liquidambar acalycina) - not to be confused with "Burgundy" American Sweetgum. I've planted a number of them and so far they appear to be hardy, at least here in the SE corner of the state. This tree grows relatively slowly in this area, and so is unlikely to outgrow the 5' tree lawn for many years (someday someone will thank you for not planting a tree that heaves the sidewalk). Burgundy Flush (Blush) may also be seedless (or nearly so), according to some sources. Has very nice foliage with, as the name suggests, a burgundy cast to the new growth.

About the Sycamores and London Plane Tree I was wondering exactly how messy these can be? I can tolerate alot, however I don't want my neighbors to hate me if I plant one.

Totally, relentlessly messy. But I love sycamores anyway. There are three problems with sycamores: they sometimes defoliate in the spring because of fungus. Around here, at least, they put on another set of leaves and look nice for the rest of the summer. They shed early in the fall. They shed seed balls. They shed bark. Which means they're dropping something pretty much all the time. The last problem is that, at least on the street where I grew up (which was lined on both sides with sycamores), they did tend to heave up the sidewalk. At that time, people just accepted these things, but I nowadays people are less tolerant of the quirks of trees.

On the other hand, they are big and graceful, they throw lots of high, cool shade, their branching is interesting to look at, the exfoliating bark is nice, and they have a very particular smell in the late summer and early fall when they are dropping their leaves. They are very tolerant of urban conditions - soil compaction, vibration, air pollution, lack of water.

What about one of the following: Paperbark maple, american fringetree, or elizabeth or yellowbird magnolia