Planting a tree can be a deeply satisfying act, a commitment to the future of the place where it will grow. Choose a tree that's native to the region and your rewards multiply. Natives are likely to thrive in your conditions with minimal attention after the first two or three years. They provide the food and shelter local wildlife depends on. Native trees have survived thousands of years of climate extremes, they have reached equilibrium with their environment, and most of them learned to cope with native pests or they would not still be here. This is truly organic!
Here's a list of native tree species that grow well in different regions of the United States:
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
Relative Mature Size |
| NORTHEAST | ||||
| Birch, yellow | Betula alleghaniensis | Large | ||
| Birch, sweet | B. lenta | Medium | ||
| Hawthorn, dotted | Crataegus punctata | Small | ||
| Hawthorn, Washington | C. phaenopyrum | Small | ||
| Maple, mountain | Acer spicatum | Small | ||
| Maple, red | A. rubrum | Large | ||
| Maple, striped | A. pensylvanicum | Small | ||
| Maple, sugar | A. saccharum | Large | ||
| Oak, black | Quercus velutina | Large | ||
| Oak, northern red | Q. rubra | Large | ||
| Oak, white | Q. alba | Large | ||
| Pine, eastern white* | Pinus strobus | Large | ||
| Pine, pitch* | P. rigida | Medium | ||
| Pine, red* | P. resinosa | Large | ||
| Sumac, smooth | Rhus glabra | Very small | ||
| Sumac, staghorn | R. typhina | Small |
| SOUTHEAST | ||||
| Birch, river | Betula nigra | Large | ||
| Birch, roundleaf | B. uber | Medium | ||
| Hawthorn, green | Crataegus viridis | Small | ||
| Hawthorn, mayhaw | C. aestivalis | Small | ||
| Hawthorn, parsley | C. marshallii | Small | ||
| Maple, chalk | Acer leucoderme | Small | ||
| Maple, Florida | A. barbatum | Large | ||
| Oak, live (subevergreen) | Quercus virginiana | Large | ||
| Oak, scarlet | Q. coccinea | Large | ||
| Oak, swamp chestnut | Q. michauxii | Large | ||
| Oak, willow | Q. phellos | Large | ||
| Pine, longleaf* | Pinus palustri | Large | ||
| Pine, table mountain* | P. pungens | Medium | ||
| Pine, Virginia* | P. virginiana | Medium | ||
| Sumac, winged | Rhus copallina | Small | ||
| Sumac, smooth | Rhus glabra | Very small |
| MIDWEST | ||||
| Birch, gray | Betula populifolia | Medium | ||
| Birch, river | B. nigra | Large | ||
| Hawthorn, cockspur | Crataegus crus-galli | Small | ||
| Hawthorn, frosted | C. pruinosa | Small | ||
| Maple, black | Acer nigrum | Large | ||
| Maple, red | A. rubrum | Large | ||
| Oak, bur | Quercus macrocarpa | Large | ||
| Oak, chinkapin | Q. muehlenbergii | Large | ||
| Oak, northern pin | Q. ellipsoidalis | Large | ||
| Oak, swamp white | Q. bicolor | Large | ||
| Pine, red* | Pinus resinosa | Large | ||
| Pine, shortleaf* | P. echinata | Large | ||
| Pine, white* | P. strobus | Large | ||
| Sumac, smooth | Rhus glabra | Very small | ||
| Sumac, staghorn | R. typhina | Small | ||
| Sumac, winged | R. copallina | Small |
| SOUTHWEST | ||||
| Birch, water | Betula fontinalis (syn. B. occidentalis) | Small | ||
| Hawthorn, Cerro | Crataegus erythropoda | Small | ||
| Hawthorn, river | C. rivularis | Small | ||
| Oak, Buckley's | Quercus buckleyi | Small | ||
| Oak, Emory | Q. emoryi | Large | ||
| Oak, Rocky Mountain | Q. gambelii | Medium | ||
| Oak, silverleaf | Q. hypoleucoides | Medium | ||
| Pine, Apache* | Pinus engelmannii | Large | ||
| Pine, limber* | P. flexilis | Large | ||
| Pine, piñon* | P. edulis | Small | ||
| Pine, ponderosa* | P. ponderosa var. scopulorum | Large | ||
| Maple, ash-leaved (box elder) | Acer negundo | Medium | ||
| Maple, canyon | A. grandidentatum | Medium | ||
| Maple, Rocky Mountain | A. glabrum | Small | ||
| Sumac, evergreen | Rhus virens | Very small | ||
| Sumac, prairie | R. lanceolata | Very small |
| FAR WEST | ||||
| Birch, western paper | Betula papyrifera var. commutata | Medium | ||
| Hawthorn, black | Crataegus douglasii | Small | ||
| Maple, bigleaf | Acer macrophyllum | Large | ||
| Maple, sierra | A. glabrum var. douglasii | Small | ||
| Maple, vine | A. circinatum | Small | ||
| Oak, blue | Quercus douglasii | Large | ||
| Oak, California black | Quercus kelloggii | Large | ||
| Oak, canyon* | Quercus chrysolepis | Large | ||
| Oak, coast live* | Quercus agrifolia | Large | ||
| Oak, garry | Quercus garryana | Large | ||
| Oak, valley | Quercus lobata | Large | ||
| Pine, gray* | Pinus sabiniana | Medium | ||
| Pine, Jeffrey* | P. jeffreyi | Large | ||
| Pine, shore* |
P. contorta |
Small | ||
| Pine, western white* | P. monticola | Large | ||
| Sumac, smooth | Rhus glabra | Very small |
*Evergreen
|
|
