Oak replacement

We recently lost this mature Quercus ellipsoidalis (Northern Pin Oak) to wilt and will have it removed late winter/early spring of 2014. Once I had it diagnosed as oak wilt, I immediately had an arborist out to treat the other NPO's along the driveway. I'd like to replace it with a tree that will grow at least moderately fast and provide seasonal interest. Any suggestions?

We like the view down the driveway, so whatever we put in will be limbed up. Also, I'd prefer not to plant a conifer on this site. It's full sun, but is partially shaded during mid afternoon. I'm considering one of the DED resistant elms, but just not sure this is the right way to go. A Sugar Maple clone might also work here, but concerned our thin, sandy soils might prove too stressful in the long run. Does anyone have experience with A. s. 'Green Mountain'? It's supposedly more tolerant of dry soils.

You're going to laugh when I tell you this but I would plant a Black Walnut in that location. I would plant it for the wildlife attraction as you have a nice forested look about that area. If not that, I might plant a a Sweetgum as I am partial to these over Maples and IMO the fall foliage is better.

Different strokes for different folks..... :)

Or one of those Butternut - Japanese Walnut hybrids selected for resistance to butternut canker?

Resin

I just realized I didn't have my zone listed, which has now been updated. Sweetgum is a bit out of our reach here in the upper midwest. I hadn't considered either walnut or the hybrid mentioned by Resin. I just did a quick search on Buartnut and I'm interested in learning more about it. Thanks!

What about a nice Populus tremuloides? Those grow in your area don't they? I think if I could fit five more trees in our yard that would be one of them :)

Quaking Aspen is very nice, especially a large grove in a natural setting. Tough to beat that. :) They prefer cool, moist soil, and tend to be shorter lived in dry soils.

How 'bout this: http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/1968.pdf

Looks nice! Does that actually produce edible fruit? I like that it's on the rarer side of things and that it grows fast. I looks like a well put together tree. I didn't see any zone information on it though...

Read all the way to the end of the article - zones 5-7 range.

Based on where it is growing at the Morton Arboretum, I'd say it prefers moisture over droughty - like the River Birch it mimics.

I threw together this list from plantfiles based on your zone and picked what I thought might work. It does seem to be a focal point and also a "separator" between the road & front lawn and house & front lawn. Personally I'd put something with a little punch for colour so it's particularly attractive while blooming and then attractive for the rest of the year. I'd also use this chance to create or expand the existing perennial bed, maybe with a mass planting of Rudbeckia, Echinacea, etc. Just my 2 cents.

Carpinus betulus 'Fastigiata' http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/78379/
Corylus colurna http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/77421/
Cercis canadensis http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/217/ (any one of the cultivars)
Gymnocladus dioicus http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1669/
Eucommia ulmoides http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1667/
Fagus sylvatica 'Dawyck Purple' http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/79703/
Parrotia persica 'Vanessa' http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/80857/
Sassafras albidum http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/448/
Magnolia 'Butterflies' http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/80426/ or one of the other Magnolias
Maclura pomifera http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54097/
Nyssa sylvatica & cultivars http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1476/
Cladrastis lutea & cultivars http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1588/
Robinia 'Purple Robe' http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/81559/
Sophora japonica http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53035/
Malus (Crabapple) - wide selection
Acer griseum http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1520/
Acer rubrum 'October Glory' http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/82821/
Aesculus x carnea http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/152735/
Pterostyrax hispida http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/30/

oh, skip the Gymnocladus dioicus as you've already got a nice specimen.

Wow, Pseudo - you must've failed English as a youth. Maybe you've been enjoying Bourbon imbibition; then I might be able to see how you awry-ved at that conclusion.

Check your trash talking at the door, and read what I wrote - again - and then ruminate on the error of your ways.

As an aside in true KY fashion - you also might study up on The Greatest, and figure out why you'd lose in a TKO...

Growin ~ Good observation on the focal point and serving as a separator between road and front of house. You've put togethert a lengthy list with many good candidates. I should've added that I'm looking for a larger growing specimen, and something that can feasibly reach 40' within 20 years. I'm also looking for something that will stay put, which is why I probably should not plant something as untested as the Farges Filbert, or that is known to be marginally hardy in this area. The Corylus colurna is a great suggestion. Like most Corylus, this tree is tolerant of difficult conditions and would probably do quite well there. There are a few others that I'm just not familiar with and deserve more study (i.e. Eucommia ulmoides). Thanks!

Viburnum Valley ~ You know I was only teasing. But really, can any conclusions be drawn based on where it's growing at Morton Arb? Maybe, but with less than tweny years of experience/data of growing this tree in the US, do we really know how it would respond to drier soils? After all, both River Birch and Swamp White Oak do reasonably well in drier conditions. It might not be their preference, but they can handle it. Also, as I mentioned in my original post, the site does get afternoon shade, and soil here is cooler than some other areas on the property. I'm just saying...

Conclusions can be drawn about preferences (not requirements) based on its behavior at the Morton AND what was stated in the Arnoldia article you provided. You can shout against the wind...

River Birch is far more prone to pest problems in drier conditions. Swamp White Oak (despite its common name) is not solely found in wet sites in nature - in fact, it is found in upland conditions right here in Scott County.

Well, I don't know why I bother 'cause it is clear you are hallucinating...

Last things first: May 25, 1965, Lewiston, Maine.

More to the point, I'm not arguing about its preference for moist soil. I'm merely saying that I doubt there's enough evidence, at least in the US, about its tolerance for something less than evenly moist soils. Can you say with certainty that it won't prosper in west-central WI loamy sand? Directly across the driveway from the oak are spontaneous Tilia americana and Ilex verticillata. As I've already stated, it's probably not the tree to use as a replacement for the dead oak -- all things considered -- but certainly worth planting on the property to see how it responds. Wouldn't that be the only way we can answer this question? Heck, I think all of us should plant this tree and compare results. Now that would be interesting. :)

The great thing about all this is that it's your yard and you can plant whatever you want no matter what any of us say :)

Well, see, Sequoiadendron4 - that's where you are off the track. Pseudo can't just plant whatever he wants, and what we say counts - a LOT.

He came here with a question and request - therefore (no matter what) HE OWES US. Our suggestions now become his commands. I expect nothing less than a full trial of each and every plant that each respondent here recommended for his site - and regular reports on the outcomes from this experimentation. He obviously doesn't respect the boundaries of topography, soils, climate, or political jurisdiction anyway. He references NPR, for goodness sakes.

And since he fell into my KY rat trap, I'll play catch-and-release on the whole boxing undercurrent.

Cassius Clay stood over Sonny Liston in 1964...

Good heavens, you ugly, old bear, you clearly got your hands on some bad wine.

"...especially when they play fast and loose with our truth."

Whose truth? And who is this Cassius Clay fellow you speak of? I'm guessing he's related to Henry Clay...

We honor our elders.

Actually, a nice 2005 Barbera with dinner tonight - nothing bad about that.

Maybe your cheddar was just a bit too sharp...

just lurking and enjoying the banter back and forth here :)

A couple more that have made it onto the list include Betula lenta and Magnolia acuminata. Both are z4 hardy, but the birch can supposedly handle drier conditions. It would seem to meet most/all of my requirements (i.e. size, growth rate, seasonal interest, etc.). The native magnolia is actually more available than the birch and is supposedly common around the Duluth area, which is another 150 miles north of me. Thoughts??

Birch are susceptible to: Bronze Birch Borer, Birch Leaf Minor & Gypsy Moth
http://www.gardenguides.com/106891-pests-white-birch-trees-wisconsin.html
You didn't mention in your original post that you were only looking for native trees.

Growin ~ In my usual fashion, I'm all over the place. A native is preferred, but I'm open to anything except a known invasive. What I really want to avoid is having to remove it in 5-7 years because of hardiness issues or an overall failure to thrive. This is a high visible location and I want to get it right the first time. I'm looking for something in the 40'+ range, fast/moderately fast growth, clean foliage, nice habit, seasonal interest, and at least decent fall color. Oh, and it has to be happy in sharply drained loamy sand. I'm diligent about watering the first three years, but after that it needs to handle at least moderate drought. This would probably exclude M. acuminata, but I'm not certain how well the Cucumber colors up or handles some drought once established. Please feel free to inform me if you think I should be considering other factors.

If it were me, I'd order a good sized Parrotia persica 'Vanessa' as they are fairly readily available for street-tree use. They fit all of the requirements you mention above and on the plantfile entry for the species it seems there are a number of entries of it's durability. If you get a nice sized one that is limbed up, the bark is nice and the fall colour can be spectacular. It may not be fast growing but it is a "specimen" tree and my image on flickr for this cultivar got more hits than any other pic.

I agree that Parrotia would be an inspired, but also risky choice. I've never seen one in arboreta north of z6, but that doesn't mean they can't be grown up here in z4. For a tree thats reasonably popular, I just don't see them in the upper midwest, and I'm wondering if they're fully hardy in z4. I have to admit, Parrotia is very enticing. :)

BTW, the link you provided in your next to last post refers to the white-barked varieties. My understanding is that the non-white varieties (yellow birch, sweet birch, etc.) are not as susceptible to borers and other maladies.

There's a small Minnesota nursery that has Quercus robur 'Concordia', and I've thrown this one into the mix as a possible replacement for my soon-to-be removed Q. ellipsoidalis. Is English Oak reliably hardy in z4? How about fall color?