The Great Canadian Skyline Thread!

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by Boris2k7

It's rather uncommon to see maples. You might be able to get a Manitoba Maple to work here but not much else (probably easier to find in Edmonton?). They are more adaptable to our soil conditions than oaks, at least.



Sure they aren't Brandon Elms? They have a similar profile (leaves and bark look really different though).

The leaves look like this:

http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/colorful-autumn-oak-leaf-22723817.jpg

[Boris2k7]

Yup. That's oak.

[O-tacular]

I guess we'll see how they do. I know they've had the ones in Bonavista for something like 5 years now.

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

The leaves look like this:

http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/colorful-autumn-oak-leaf-22723817.jpg

I see lots of trees with leaves like that, there are a bunch in Central Memorial Park. I've always wondered if they were some sort of Oak, though I thought they didn't grow here.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

I think we do get Manitoba Maples here, but they make a damn mess with their helicopter seed pods.

Those grow like weed out East... Sherbrooke is infested with them. They're super brittle compared to native maples, and tend to grow multi-trunks. In vernacular speech they're not even always called maples (c'est "de la plaine", though you will also find some who call them "érable à Giguère").

Plus, unlike Sugar Maple and Red Maple and Red Oak, their fall color is the same as aspen and poplar anyway. If I were in Calgary I sure wouldn't see any interest in Manitoba Maple over anything native deciduous.

I've cut so many of these over the years at my buildings. I really dislike them. To my surprise I even found one in the middle of what should have been 100% native forest in northern NH... seems that those helicopter seeds can travel really long distances. I did cut it, but I'll have to inspect the area looking for others.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Boris2k7

Yup. That's oak.

But not Red Oak.

It looks a lot like a White Oak leaf, though it's a bit too orange for that. There are many oak varieties that have leaves shaped like the White, so they're hard to tell apart with only a leaf.

Red is easy to tell, the leaf looks very different.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

I see lots of trees with leaves like that, there are a bunch in Central Memorial Park. I've always wondered if they were some sort of Oak, though I thought they didn't grow here.

Sounds like they do, then!

FWIW, the harshness of the winter is definitely not the reason you can't grow them. My ex's dad has a Red Oak in his backyard (close to the highest elevation you'll find in southern Quebec, his house is where Quebec, Vermont and New Hampshire meet) that he planted 30 years ago and it's thriving. Eastern Winters at that elevation are harsher than Calgary's, that's guaranteed. On the other hand, the growing season is likely longer and definitely more reliable. And the soil pH is less high. And it rains more. Whatever the reason oaks don't do well (likely a combination of these), the "harsh" winter -- this year especially, any oak from southern Quebec would've found Calgary downright balmy -- is not it.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by le calmar

I'm not an expert in any means regarding weather in Florida, but I thought a subtropical climate was humid? I remember it would usually rain almost every afternoon there in the summer (not for a long time, but it was a regular occurence)

It is. It's been many years since I experienced a FL summer but I also recall it's super humid. Winter seems dry -- at least this winter has mostly been.

On the topic of maples, I was shocked to see that my street is actually lined with maples! They're leafless, and the dead leaves look mostly like Sugar Maple and/or Norway Maple but much bigger. In fact, the leaves are HUGE. I've been wanting to research what kind of maple that is... I did not know any of them could grow (and thrive -- those are 35 years old, same age as the neighborhood) in such a climate. The soil is nearly pure sand, as well. Really unlike the soils I'm used to see maples in.

[lio45]

/off-topic.

(I'm a tree enthusiast, as you might have guessed... maybe if anyone still wants to discuss trees we could move to the Off-Topic Thread.)

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by lio45

Sounds like they do, then!

FWIW, the harshness of the winter is definitely not the reason you can't grow them. My ex's dad has a Red Oak in his backyard (close to the highest elevation you'll find in southern Quebec, his house is where Quebec, Vermont and New Hampshire meet) that he planted 30 years ago and it's thriving. Eastern Winters at that elevation are harsher than Calgary's, that's guaranteed. On the other hand, the growing season is likely longer and definitely more reliable. And the soil pH is less high. And it rains more. Whatever the reason oaks don't do well (likely a combination of these), the "harsh" winter -- this year especially, any oak from southern Quebec would've found Calgary downright balmy -- is not it.

I would guess it is the frosts we get in May (sometimes even June) and October (sometimes late September) that kill trees I think.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by lio45

Sounds like they do, then!

FWIW, the harshness of the winter is definitely not the reason you can't grow them. My ex's dad has a Red Oak in his backyard (close to the highest elevation you'll find in southern Quebec, his house is where Quebec, Vermont and New Hampshire meet) that he planted 30 years ago and it's thriving. Eastern Winters at that elevation are harsher than Calgary's, that's guaranteed. On the other hand, the growing season is likely longer and definitely more reliable. And the soil pH is less high. And it rains more. Whatever the reason oaks don't do well (likely a combination of these), the "harsh" winter -- this year especially, any oak from southern Quebec would've found Calgary downright balmy -- is not it.

It's not the cold that is inhospitable to trees here. It's the fact that Calgary and southern Alberta are basically in a near desert climatic zone. Visit here sometime and you'll understand. First thing you'll notice is dry eyes, nosebleeds, cracked / bleeding lips and dry chapped skin on your hands. Winter is the worst. Summer isn't nearly as dry but is still generally quite dry. July is kind of a weird monsoon season where you see tons of thundershowers and hailstorms.

The erratic weather patterns and elevation probably don't help either. I think Calgarian already alluded to the constant freeze thaw cycles that occur as well as early frosts. Interesting fact about growing seasons: My inlaws live in Calgary's SW at a very high elevation since it is basically the beginning of the foothills. Their growing season is something like 2 weeks shorter than in my end of the city which is at prairie level. They also get snow much sooner and it also seems to linger quite a bit longer. The fact they live in an aspen forest probably makes this worse.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by lio45

It is. It's been many years since I experienced a FL summer but I also recall it's super humid. Winter seems dry -- at least this winter has mostly been.

On the topic of maples, I was shocked to see that my street is actually lined with maples! They're leafless, and the dead leaves look mostly like Sugar Maple and/or Norway Maple but much bigger. In fact, the leaves are HUGE. I've been wanting to research what kind of maple that is... I did not know any of them could grow (and thrive -- those are 35 years old, same age as the neighborhood) in such a climate. The soil is nearly pure sand, as well. Really unlike the soils I'm used to see maples in.

When did you move to Florida? I thought you lived in Ontario.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

I would guess it is the frosts we get in May (sometimes even June) and October (sometimes late September) that kill trees I think.

Spring frosts especially, I'd think.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

When did you move to Florida? I thought you lived in Ontario.

I bought a place there in the summer of 2014. Then in January of this year I bought several other properties. Most of them are rentals. Some of them are a little test project that my dad and I have.

I never lived in Ontario, you must be mistaken there. I'm originally from Sherbrooke, QC and still have plenty of reasons to go back there regularly. I also have my weekend retreat and some 120 acres of forest that I'm letting grow about an hour away from Sherbrooke (in NH). Plus my gf (currently more a "it's complicated" type relationship) at the moment is in Quebec City. Regardless of where I am, I'll certainly be in the Townships and/or northern NH at least a couple times a year bare minimum.

But it's hard to say where I will be in a few months from now.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

It's not the cold that is inhospitable to trees here. It's the fact that Calgary and southern Alberta are basically in a near desert climatic zone. Visit here sometime and you'll understand. First thing you'll notice is dry eyes, nosebleeds, cracked / bleeding lips and dry chapped skin on your hands. Winter is the worst. Summer isn't nearly as dry but is still generally quite dry. July is kind of a weird monsoon season where you see tons of thundershowers and hailstorms.

The erratic weather patterns and elevation probably don't help either. I think Calgarian already alluded to the constant freeze thaw cycles that occur as well as early frosts. Interesting fact about growing seasons: My inlaws live in Calgary's SW at a very high elevation since it is basically the beginning of the foothills. Their growing season is something like 2 weeks shorter than in my end of the city which is at prairie level. They also get snow much sooner and it also seems to linger quite a bit longer. The fact they live in an aspen forest probably makes this worse.

Yeah, I did mention the relative lack of rain in my list of factors. But you're probably right in insisting on its importance.

I'd think at first sight that long-ish periods of dipping deep below zero after the buds have emerged would be a killer too. The Eastern trees have not evolved to face this, though they can survive -40C.

Speaking of Eastern hardwoods, I seemed to recall that the American Elm's native range included the Canadian Prairies, so I just looked it up. It stops at mid-Saskatchewan. Is Edmonton really drier than central SK? I thought the Parkland Belt (or is it Ukrainian Belt?) had relatively similar characteristics from East to West. Turns out it's not the case, at least for elms.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by lio45

Yeah, I did mention the relative lack of rain in my list of factors. But you're probably right in insisting on its importance.

I'd think at first sight that long-ish periods of dipping deep below zero after the buds have emerged would be a killer too. The Eastern trees have not evolved to face this, though they can survive -40C.

Speaking of Eastern hardwoods, I seemed to recall that the American Elm's native range included the Canadian Prairies, so I just looked it up. It stops at mid-Saskatchewan. Is Edmonton really drier than central SK? I thought the Parkland Belt (or is it Ukrainian Belt?) had relatively similar characteristics from East to West. Turns out it's not the case, at least for elms.

Thank you for reminding me and I can't believe I forgot about Calgary's Elm trees! Seeing as we are in the middle of the prairies we are one fo the few cities that has not had its elm trees decimated by Dutch Elm Disease. Most of the older neighbourhoods in the inner city and even some older burbs have amazing elm canopies.

[O-tacular]

Last tree related picture I promise. This is my favourite tree in Calgary. It currently sits in a parking lot on the Stampede grounds. And hey, it's not completely off topic, there's the EV skyline behind it.

[Martin Mtl]

I'm kind of sad for that tree.

[whiteford]

when my first son was born my father in law planted 1000 oak on his farm near saskatoon for him. them trees are now 16 yrs old and getting huge. so ya,, they grow like a dickens out west as well. they will be worth some $$$$ when my son hits 35 or 40

[whiteford]

oh ya the skyline pictures are all great guys. thanks a bunch.