Dr. Dirr Tree Spotlight: Catalpa speciosa, northern or western catalpa, down but not out

Catalpa speciosa has never been commonly utilized in cultivated landscapes, yet somehow occurs in off-the-grid locations from Maine to Florida to the west coast. The

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Trees and College Campuses: A Mutual Symbiosis

A December, 2017 visit to Amherst, MA to enjoy a Georgia-University of Massachusetts (UMass) basketball game brought back fond memories of my graduate student days

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Dr. Dirr’s Tree Spotlight: Quercus shumardii – Shumard Oak

Shumard oak is one of the most widely distributed species of the red oak group ranging from Ontario (4 counties) to Florida, west to Kansas,

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Dr. Dirr’s Tree Spotlight: Gymnocladus dioicus-Kentucky coffeetree

An email arrives from a master wood craftsman in Limerick, Maine. It reads… “have access to a giant log of Kentucky coffeetree but am broke.

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Dr. Dirr Spotlight: Pyrus calleryana- Callery pear and invasiveness

Touted as the biological savior for stressful environments since the introduction of ‘Bradford’ in January, 1960.  Profuse white flowers in spring, shining dark green summer

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Dr. Dirr’s Tree Spotlight: Ulmus americana

Without equivocation, the American elm was the dominant street, shade and urban tree species in North America until the introduction of Dutch elm disease. Embedded

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Dr. Dirr’s Tree Spotlight: Quercus bicolor

The North American deciduous forest is rich with oak diversity such as Quercus bicolor. Oaks are categorized as belonging to the White or Red /Black

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Dr. Dirr’s Tree Spotlight: Metasequoia glyptostroboides

Dr. Dirr’s Tree Spotlight September 18th, 2017 The species, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, was considered extinct until rediscovered in the 1940s in China and reintroduced via the

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Dr. Dirr’s Tree Spotlight: Aesculus flava

Dr. Dirr’s Tree Spotlight: August 28th, 2017 Such a great tree, reaching its zenith in the southern Appalachians, with trees 80 to 100’ in height.

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Dr. Dirr’s Tree Spotlight: Corylus fargesii- Farges filbert or hazel

With the loss of Fraxinus, ash, to emerald ash borer and no resistance among the 22 U.S. native species; the uncertainty of long term performance

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