Saskatchewan's Top 12 Most Common Tree Species

1. Elm (American, Manchurian)
The American elm is a large, graceful tree with enlarged buttresses at the base. It usually forks into many spreading branches that droop at the ends, and grows to a height of 30 m. Its leaves are elliptical shapes that are abruptly long-pointed with rounded bases (7.5-15cm long). It is one of the most abundant mature street trees in Saskatoon. Homeowners also enjoy American elm trees as a beautiful shade and ornamental tree.

Many elm trees have been destroyed by Dutch Elm Disease, a beetle transported fungus which chokes off branches and spreads throughout the tree, widespread in Southern and Eastern Saskatchewan. Thankfully this serious disease has not yet been found in or around the city of Saskatoon. Diligent adhesion to elm pruning guidelines by homeowners and contractors ensure our community's best chance to keep this disease away. If you have any questions call the Saskatchewan Dutch Elm Disease Association at 933-5546, or visit www.sdeda.ca.

Manchurian elms (often called Siberian elms) are less graceful and majestic than the American elm. Its leaves are similar to, but smaller than, those of the American elm. Manchurian elms are fast growing, typically reaching heights of 12 m. It is one of the first to leaf in the spring and one of the last to shed its leaves in the fall. It is also considered to be a great windbreak tree when planted in rows. They are unpopular with gardeners as they produce an abundance of seed and their branches break easily. They are also less likely to die from Dutch Elm Disease, but can be a source of infection.

2. Maple (Amur, Manitoba, Sugar, Silver)
The Manitoba maple tree is a small-to-medium-sized tree, reaching heights of 50 to 75 feet, with a trunk diameter up to 4 feet. The trunk is relatively short and tapering, and the crown is spreading and bushy. Manitoba maples are fast growing and tolerate poor conditions. Although it grows best on moist soils, it is drought and cold resistant. It can also tolerate flooding for extended periods (up to a month).

Sugar maples have the distinctive leaves characterized on our national flag. They turn deep red in autumn. Silver maples have leaves with a distinctive silvery shimmer especially when blowing in the wind. The leaves are more deeply lobed than the sugar maple. They display yellow colour in fall.

3. Ash (Green, Black, Manchurian)
The green ash tree is a fast growing shade tree with rich green foliage and an upswept branching habit. It is very adaptable to many soil and moisture conditions making it a popular choice beside roads, because of often salting throughout the winter.

4. Birch (Paper, River, Weeping)
The branches of the birch tree are nearly horizontal or drooping depending on the species. The outer bark of this tree is smooth, thin and distinctively white, making it a popular choice for gardeners. Its leaves are broad, flat and short with symmetrical bases that are serrated. Birch grows along stream banks, lakeshores, and on the moist slopes of hills. Unfortunately Birch trees have suffered severely throughout Saskatoon due to drought and frequent infestations of the bronze birch borer. The Paper Birch's wood is light and strong.

5. Poplar (Northwest, Tower, Cottonwood)
The Northwest Poplar is a common yard tree that grows very fast and large. The female trees give off huge amounts of white fluff in the spring and summer, making the male trees more desirable. These trees have extensive root systems that spread out 3 times the height of the tree. Unfortunately, when these trees are removed the roots often go into shock and send up numerous sprouts, this is likely to happen regardless of the time of year you remove the poplar.

Cottonwood poplar is the largest of the North American poplar trees. Although the cottonwood poplar typically grows on the moist soils of stream bottoms, swamps and lakeshores, it can grow well on dry soil. Also, unlike most trees, it can survive long periods of partial flooding. The wood is soft, light and weak.

6. Willow (Laurel leaf, Weeping, Pussy)
Laurel leaf willows are generally multi-trunk trees with long slim and shiny leaves. The wood is very brittle and is susceptible to breakage in the wind and under snow. It is recommended to leave the climbing to a professional when caring for your willow.

The weeping willow is a short-trunked tree with long, drooping branches. The bark is rough and grey. It grows well, especially near water, and cuttings of twigs or branches root easily in moist soil. It is rapid growing, but short-lived compared to many other trees.

The pussy willow is a relatively small willow and often is found growing as a shrub. The female flowers, called catkins, are the largest of the willows, and distinguish the pussy willow from other species of its kind. Its natural growth is in wet habitats such as wet meadows, stream banks and lake borders. But it will grow well when transplanted into drier soils. The main use of the pussy willow is as an ornamental tree because of its blossoms and foliage.

7. European Mountain Ash
The mountain ash is known for its showy white flowers and its numerous clusters of bright red berries. The bark of this tree is smooth and dark grey, and is marked with horizontal lines. When young, the twigs are densely covered with white hairs. Its leaves are broad and flat and contain a number of leaflets. It is highly favoured by the birds that come to gorge on its berries.

8. Spruce (Colorado Blue, White)
The blue spruce tree is a pyramidal shaped evergreen with naturally bluish-green needles. Mature trees can have either horizontal or upswept branches. It prefers heavier soils, full sun, and clean cultivation. The blue spruce is probably the most drought tolerant of all spruce trees. Cones are about 10 cm long.

The white spruce is a medium-size conifer. The outer bark of the white spruce is ash-brown in color, and thin and scaly. When freshly exposed, the inner bark is silvery. It leaves are needle like and grow in singles rather then clusters. The needles vary in colors, from yellow-green to bluish to white. The cones are 3 to 5 cm long and are dry and relatively hard. The white spruce is tolerant of cold winter weather.

9. Scotch Pine
The scotch pine is not as big a tree as some of its relatives. A distinctive characteristic of this tree is its scaly, bright orange-red bark, often seen on the upper trunk and branches. This bark becomes darker and very rough on the lower trunk of older trees. This tree is very tolerant of soil conditions, moisture and extremes of weather. As a young tree it grows rapidly.

10. Linden (Little-leaf, Large-leaf)
The little-leaf linden has dense and compact foliage, and a pyramidal shape. Its leaves are broad and flat with a short stem, and are 1.5 – 3 inches long. It grows in a variety of soils and is highly tolerant to adverse conditions, such as those found in cities. Also, this hardy tree can withstand low temperatures.

11. Schubert Chokecherry
The Schubert chokecherry is a small tree, sometimes a shrub. It often forms dense thickets of woody growth. The bark of the tree is brown or grey, sometimes smooth, sometimes scaly. Its red fruit is loosely clustered, and each is less than 1 inch in width. The Schubert chokecherry grows commonly in rich moist soils, but often is found in poorer, drier soils. Although the fruit is harsh, people sometimes use it in making jellies. People also occasionally plant the Common chokecherry tree as an ornamental, or to provide food for birds. The Schubert is quite susceptible to the Black Knot fungus, commonly referred to ‘poop-on-a-stick,' which is obvious and will eventually kill the tree if it is not professionally pruned out.

12. Ornamental Trees (Crab Apple, Plum, Cherry, etc)
The crab apple tree is a relatively small tree with a short trunk. It often has several stout branches, which generally leave smaller branches widely spread and open rather than forming a compact crown. The cracked and rough bark is reddish brown to grey in color. The Sweet crab apple grows in moist soils in borders and openings of forests. The fruit is often used in making preserves.

The American Plum tree has dark brown bark that is scaly. Its leaf margins are sharply toothed, and the twigs are orange-brown in color. The Canada Plum tree's leaf margins are bluntly toothed, and the twigs are greenish in color. The Plum tree has dark brown bark that is scaly, and broad flat leaves less than 5 inches long. Its blue or red fruit are loosely packed together, and each contains a large pit. Some varieties of these trees have been developed for their fruits, others for their flowers. People often eat the fruits fresh, and use them in making jellies and preserved.

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