Please Don't Plant These Trees in Stillwater!

Some trees are just not good for Stillwater. Some are bad choices because they don't do well with our unique soil and climate conditions. Othertrees have been over-planted here, causing their own brand of problems.

• Silver Maples - while these are beautiful trees, they have prolific rooting systems which often split sidewalks, driveways and streets, clog sewer and drainage lines, and compete with other plants for water and nutrients. The branches of these maples break easily, often falling on cars.
• Japanese Maple - these trees need an extremely sheltered environment, almost impossible to find successfully in Stillwater. They also don't tolerate the high clay soil of this area. While very beautiful, Japanese Maples are very expensive to buy, particularly if you end up watching them die.
• Cottonwoods - are fast growing and very brittle. Because there is no density to the limbs, they blow off in storms and break easily. They also have prolific, invasive rooting systems.
• Dogwoods - these need a shaded, sheltered environment, not too common in Stillwater. They also don't tolerate the high clay soil of this area.
• Bradford Pears - These are brittle wooded and poorly branched. The combination will almost guarantee that the tree will lose branches or even split in half during ice or wind storms.
• Pin Oaks, Water Oaks, and Willow Oaks all tend to get sickly in Stillwater because of our high alkaline soils.
• The Japanese Black, the Japanese Red and the Austrian Pine Trees are very susceptible to Pinewood Nematodes which are currently active in Stillwater. When infested, a tree will die within two to three weeks.
• Azaleas, some Hollies, Rhododendrons, and many more are not included on the recommended tree guide because they don't do well in the high clay (not well drained) soil conditions of Stillwater.

Trees occasionally come in and out of fashion just like clothing styles or furniture. With trees, though, it's best to stay away from trends. No tree should be over 5% of any one local population. Too much of a (usually good thing) encourages disease and insects to spread like wildfire if they have access to a favorite host. Some trees that have been over-planted or close to over-planted in Stillwater include Bradford Pears, Silver Maples, Lacebark Elms and Chinese Pistaches.

There are still many trees that can be successful in Stillwater. Click here to see the Tree Board's list of trees that can be grown in Stillwater. The list of Top 12 picks can be viewed here.