There's no evidence of any ageing in the oldest Pinus longaeva, their foliage, cones, and seeds are equal to those of young trees. What is true though is that plants grafted with scions from mature trees bear flowers / fruit much more quickly than seedling trees, so there is some physiological maturity transferred in grafting. "Edit: oh it was a little older than a couple thousand years... like 80,000 more lol" The claimed age for 'Pando' is pure speculation, and completely without hard evidence; it is based on the false claim that "conditions in the area have been unsuitable for Aspen seed germination in the last 80,000 years". With Aspen roots easily able to grow a metre a year, a clone that size (43 hectares) could develop in as short as 370-400 years. Resin

I'm so sorry bboy, but is it like wide at the bottom and thin at the top? or wide on top and thinner at the bottom?

There is a berm there but heavy clay soil, so this tree needs to be drought tolerant and clay tolerant. ==>>> no matter what you plant ... no tree will be drought tolerant for 2 to 5 years ... the bigger the transplant.. the longer the time ... at the link ... read about planting in clay .... there are extremely few trees that cant cope with such ... its when we improperly transplant into it.. or water improperly.. when most failure occur .... have you ever had a soil test done.. to find out if your clay lacks anything besides drainage?.. a quick call to your COUNTY extension office.. might get you a fast general answer .... and how to have a soil test done ... and based on that ... the world is your oyster.. as to choosing options .... finally.. there is little instant gratification with trees ... at 41 ... lol ... you really do have a lot of time to go smaller ... personally.. i would never go with a 2 inch caliper tree ... in my case .. due to budget .... but if you have it.. go for it ... but even then.. i might go with only a 1 inch ... the smaller the transplant.. the faster it gets settled.. ESTABLISHED.. and the faster it will grow to specs ... and once there.. tree do grow rather fast ... i planted 6 foot bare root oaks ... and 15 years later.. they are going on 30 to 40 feet ... and that would only put you at 56 ... not even near the grave.. lol ... ken ps: z5 is half the US .. give us a big city name and state ... just in case it matters https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

I'm not sure why you have so much difficulty with maples. Red maple is one of the most commonly seen trees in the US and has a huge natural range, covering most of the eastern half of the country from Canada to Florida and as far west as the Mississippi. And will grow in a very wide range of soils and moisture conditions as well as being very tolerant of urban conditions like pollution. About their biggest concerns for failure are various but infrequent soil pathogens and improper planting methods. Maples are frequently used as street trees pretty much anywhere and certainly offer great fall color in most areas. I wouldn't necessarily rule them out :-) But I do like the ginkgo as well.