By Mike Barhorst
Contributing columnist
Sidney’s Tree Board recently announced their annual tree sale and in a departure from previous years, this year they are offering eight different varieties. Unless you live in an older area of town with a very wide tree lawn, none of the varieties are suitable for that purpose, but all are great varieties for planting in your yard.
This year’s selections include the Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida), the Eastern Redbud (Cercis Canadensis), Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum), Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus viginiana), Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa), Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), Ivory Silk Lilac (Syringa reticulata), and the Autumn Blaze Red Maple (Acer freemanii). Each of the species of trees was chosen because it will grow well in our community.
The Flowering Dogwood will grow to a mature height of 20 to 40 feet. It has graceful, horizontal-tiered branching, flowers early in the spring, has scarlet autumn foliage, and its red fruit is a source of food for songbirds from the fall through the winter. It will be delivered from the nursery in a five-gallon container. Each dogwood tree will cost $39.
The Eastern Redbud will come from the nursery in a seven-gallon container and grow to a mature height of 20 to 30 feet. The Eastern Redbud grows rapidly, has abundant purple-pink flowers in the early spring (April), has ornamental branches, and its leaves turn yellow in the fall. Each redbud tree will cost $72.
The Bald Cypress has a pyramidal shape, adapts to a wide range of soil types, whether wet, salty, dry, or swampy, the tree is hardy and tough. It is noted for the russet-red fall color of its lacy leaves. It will be delivered from the nursery in a seven-gallon container and will cost $72. It will grow to a mature height of 50 to 70 feet.
The Eastern Red Cedar works well for windbreaks, has a columnar shape, deep roots, and provides a safe nesting spot for birds. They grow readily, require little care, and are extremely drought tolerant. Each tree will be delivered in a seven-gallon container, will grow to a mature height of 40 to 50 feet, and will cost $73.
When the Bur Oak was last offered in 2021, it was very popular, so it is being offered again. The Bur Oak is a long-lived tree, one that can easily live more than 250 years. It is tolerant of a variety of soil and moisture conditions. It prefers full sun, produces fringed acorns enjoyed by wildlife, and has leaves six to twelve inches long. It will grow to a mature height of 70 to 80 feet with a canopy that will have an 80-foot spread. The trees will come from the nursery in a seven-gallon container and will cost $78 each.
The Shagbark Hickory has large, flat peeling bark. It is the most common hickory in the Eastern United States and southeast Canada. It is a large, deciduous tree, can grow well over 100 feet tall, and can live more than 350 years. It is a great shade tree and produces edible nuts. It too, will be delivered from the nursery in a seven-gallon container, and will cost $88.
The Ivory Silk Lilac is a small tree that delivers incomparable fragrance and cream blooms in the spring and summer months. It is a tree that will grow to a mature height of 20 to 30 feet, so it will fit in nearly anywhere. Its vibrant green foliage pops against its reddish-brown bark and is the perfect tree to liven up bare areas in the yard. It can be a focal point in a flower bed, and it attracts wildlife like hummingbirds to your yard. It is delivered in a ten-gallon container and is priced at $88 each.
The Autumn Blaze Red Maple is a hybrid of the red and silver maple. Well known for its bright scarlet foliage that turns late in the season, this popular variety has won back-to-back awards for “Urban Tree of the Year” and is also a fast grower. It can grow more than two feet per year. It is delivered in a fifteen-gallon container and can grow to a mature height of 40 to 60 feet. It is $99 per tree.
Order forms are available at City Hall (201 West Poplar Street), the City Service Center (415 South Vandemark Road), and online (www.sidneyoh.com). The forms are due Oct. 11, 2024, no later than noon. Payment must be made at the time the trees are ordered, and the order forms must either be mailed to the City of Sidney Service Center (415 South Vandemark Road) or dropped off in person during regular business hours.
The trees will be delivered from the nursery and available for pickup on Saturday, October 19 from 10:00 a.m. until noon at the Sidney Service Center (415 South Vandemark Road). I would again remind those purchasing the trees that they should only be planted on your property. None of these varieties are suitable for planting in the tree lawn (the space between the street and the sidewalk.)
I want to take this opportunity to encourage residents to purchase trees and plant them. The city lost thousands of trees in the past decade due to the emerald ash borer. Not only has the emerald ash borer devastated Sidney’s ash trees, it has killed tens of millions of ash trees across the United States. It is expected that before the devastation is over, it will kill most of the 8,700,000,000 ash trees in North America.
It is easy to see the devastating impact the emerald ash borer has had on the environment. Replenishing the urban forest is one way that each of us can contribute in a small way to helping reverse the impact of the emerald ash borer.
The sale will provide every household the opportunity to economically plant trees. The trees are grown by Woody Nursery in Indiana. They are Grade A trees. However, neither the city nor the nursery is guaranteeing the trees since once they leave our care, we have no way of knowing the care the person receiving the tree is providing them.
That said, we have had great success with the stock we have received from the nursery. A tulip poplar I planted in my yard in 2017 continues to thrive, and its yellow foliage in the fall brings joy to our family. It required little care other than the pruning necessary with young trees and has already grown to about 20 feet. We liked the species because they can grow two to three feet each year, live to be 300 years old, and reach a height of 60 to 80 feet. In other words, it will provide shade in my lifetime!
I want to commend Sidney’s Tree Board for again sponsoring a tree sale. Under the able chairmanship of Michael Jannides, the board includes Vice-chair Ann Asher, Ross Moore III, Joyce Reier, and Rick Steenrod. Their volunteer efforts have significantly bolstered Sidney’s urban forest. If you have questions about the trees, feel free to contact any member of the Tree Board, or contact City Arborist Brian Green at 937-498-8159.
