Top 10 Tree Species

When did you last consider a tree?  I mean, sat there, looking at the bark, the leaves, listened to the sound of the wind flowing through the branches?

How long - if ever - have you analyzed what makes a tree appealing? What you like or dislike about certain species?

For me, moving to Colorado from Oregon has triggered a fresh assessment of our arboreal friends. Experiencing a new ecosystem, a new environment has made me take a closer look. Why do I love trees?

And who doesn’t love a tree?  They form the backdrop of our lives, providing beauty, shade on a hot day, shelter in a storm, raw material for our society, and fruit and sustenance in countless ways.

Seriously, if you don’t love trees, you’re a monster and cannot be redeemed.

So for no real reason and in no particular order, I have decided to rank my favorite tree species. Because why not?

My criteria? These must be trees that I have personal experience with, a relationship of sorts. Aesthetics, practicality, size and grandeur, symmetry, texture, and the nuances of bark and nuts all play a role.

But really it’s simple connection. I simply admire and appreciate some species. Others…not so much.

To that end, I present to you my ultimate ranking of the Top 10 Tree Species:

Pecan

• I must admit to a very personal and regional bias here. I grew up with 2-3 wonderful Pecan trees in my back yard. Not only do they produce the most excellent nuts every fall, Pecan trees are tall, architectural, and aesthetically pleasing. When in a Texas Pecan groove, you are in a special place, near water, in the shade, and surrounded by a grand and productive ecosystem.

Bald Cypress

• Texas can be an austere, prickly environment. But the Hill Country West of Austin and NW of San Antonio offer pockets of magic. Particularly, Hill Country rivers have always given the natives a respite from the heat and an oasis among the scrub and prairie. Sprinkled along the riverbanks you can find the Cypress. Their twisted roots dip into the water like straws while their delicate fronds break up the sunlight and dance in the wind. Sure, they’re more common in the swamps of the Southeast, but in Texas - a Bald Cypress signals a choice swimming hole, a place to picnic, relax, and drink a cold one.

Alpine Larch/Mountain Larch

• Unique to conifers, the needles of the Larch tree change colors in the fall, to a golden yellow that pops out of the canopy of the Pacific Northwest. Add to that, the appeal of Larches rest in their location - they reside in the upper slopes of the Cascades, at altitude and in the wilderness. Mountain Larches occupy the mid-level heights, while Alpine Larches reserve themselves for the most remote peaks. To see a Larch requires being someplace special. Don’t believe me, simply look at the Enchantments in Washington State.

Pacific Madrone

• A unique species, with characteristic flaking bark and naked branches, Madrone’s are found up and down the West Coast. They have an unmistakeable look, with peeling bark, delicate branches, and an exposed, smooth surface that invites your hand.

Douglas Fir

• The official tree of Oregon, symbol of Cascadia and workhorse of the Pacific Northwest. Douglas Firs form the backbone of NW forests, ever-present but also singular. They can grow to amazing heights, reaching hundreds of feet with trunks that rival the width of a mini-van. The deep, fluted bark of an old-growth Fir carry the emotional weight of the forest itself, and the soft pine needles drop to the forest floor, providing cushion and quietude to countless hiking trails.

Texas Live Oak

• Anyone who has had a beer outdoors in Austin probably sat under a Live Oak. Twisty, sprawling branches and leaves cast wonderful, dappled shade, providing much needed shelter from the Texas sun. Old-growth Live Oaks are a community treasure, celebrated and cherished. See the famous Treaty Oak where for hundreds of years people have gathered.

Quaking Aspen

• Divas of the arboreal world, but well earned. Aspen are elegant showmen, putting on displays of beauty and sensory extravagance that few other trees can match. Their white bark channels, reflects, and alters the sunlight to create a natural warmth. The soft rustle of the leaves - a muted clickity/crackle - permeates the forests with white noise. And of course the Fall, when the leaves punch the landscape with pure gold, brings the production to a grand finale.

Coastal Redwood

• How can this species not be ranked? The tallest tree species in the world, magnificent fluted and ancient bark, columns of coniferous elegance that flip your perspective? Walking in a redwood forest manifests a religious experience - a cathedral of nature, decorated with ferns, fog, and silence. As noted in my post on the Boy Scout Tree Trail, Redwoods simply short-circuit your mind…nothing can actually be that grand, can it?

Ponderosa Pine

• Another touchstone of the American West, Ponderosa Pine criss-cross the mountainous regions like a gift from an artistic God. To encounter an old-growth Ponderosa forest is peace on earth - the alligator, orange bark reflecting the light while dagger-sized pine needles filter the sky. Evolved to contend with - and actually benefit from - wildfires, snowstorms, and insect hordes - Ponderosa Pines are true survivors and champions of ecology. If forced to choose, these might be my favorite.

Astute readers will notice that I only listed 9 tree species. When compiling this, I couldn’t quite find a 10th candidate. Many were considered. Mesquite, Sycamores in Texas. Various Oaks. Alerce trees in Chile. The Guanacaste or Mahogany trees of the Central American rainforest. Cottonwoods from plains and Colorado foothills. The Giant Sequoia.

But I choose to keep my powder dry, and reserve slot number 10 as “TBD”. Maybe you have a species to nominate? Let me know, convince me.

Parting Proclamation

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Disclaimer:

All content and opinions are solely those of the author (Jack), and not representative of my employer, former employers, clients, anyone in Congress, my family, former college roommates, Baptists, the good citizens of Colorado, or my dog Mabel.