Why are there so few native tree species offered?
Unfortunately, most of our Pacific Northwest native trees get far too large for street trees. The conifer species in particular want to be BIG forest trees and quickly outgrow most urban settings, as well as restricting visibility unless limbed up in an unattractive (and sometimes unsafe) way. Many of the native deciduous species belong to the willow and poplar families, which we discourage planting in the City due to their aggressive root systems that seek out and have the potential to break sewer and water lines. Of the remaining native deciduous species, there are several that are attractive, and we have been experimenting with them in street tree plantings. The results have been mixed: vine maple, preferring life in the shady understory of a forest, is extremely susceptible to unattractive and stressful scorching in hot summers, so must be sited where it gets protection from too much sun and heat. Pacific dogwood also prefers to be part of the forest rather than a loner and appears
