Tree Care Articles

Poplars

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Written by Kevin R. Lee Kevin R. Lee
Published: 20 January 2020 20 January 2020

The huge trees listed below are not appropriate for a residential setting. They have very thirsty roots that have broken into many a sewer line and basement. Relatively weak wooded, during storms they often shed large dangerous branches. A tree group that has been in use in the west since the beginning, they are best left to plantings in large parks where there are no buildings near. Somewhat better as a street tree, there is still the problem of large roots damaging pavement and sidewalks.

Poplars and spruce were the two favored varieties of developers who didn't want any problems with their trees dying. They didn't know what was best and didn't find out. They just planted what they knew would grow. In Calgary the district of Lake Bonavista is a classic example. A developer planted two in front of every house and two out front in the boulevard. Of the thousands of trees planted, almost all of them are now gone on both private and city land, and at what cost?

Here is the list of poplars you probably don't want in your yard.
⦁ Brooks poplar #6, Populus x Brooks
⦁ Plains cottonwood, Populus deltoides
⦁ Tower poplar, Populus x canescens
⦁ White poplar, Populus alba
⦁ Griffin poplar, Populus x griffin
⦁ Balsam poplar, Populus balsamifera, native in Calgary along the rivers
⦁ Northwest poplar, Populus jackii
⦁ Russian poplar, Populus petrowskyana
⦁ Black cottonwood, Populus trichocarpa


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