[CANUFNET] Tree "Sexism" in Canada: Call for information & thoughts

[owen croy]

Most trees used in urban hard surface areas do not produce enough fruit to
be bothersome in the way that has been described.  e.g. elms, maples, oaks,
iron-wood, ornamental cherries and plums, beech, hornbeam, Korean dogwood
etc

Many ornamental trees that produce fruit can and should be used in park
settings and people's where there are no hard surfaces to become
sticky/slippery/smelly, as they provide food for birds and look gorgeous
when in bloom. Examples would be hawthorns, crab apple, some dogwoods, etc

Nut-bearing trees should also be considered for park spaces and yards, as
they can provide food for both animals and humans, and don’t impact people
negatively when planted away from hard surface areas.

Edible fruit-bearing trees should be planted by home-owners  and in
community garden areas to be ‘slow’ food sources that do not have to be
transported and can be picked ripe and consumed fresh.

Most conifers planted as ornamentals have both sexes on the same tree
(dioecious) so sex selection is not an issue.  However, those that produce
large cones should be planted in garden beds to prevent nuisance issues
from arising.

Here in the coastal areas of British Columbia, pollen from native trees
such as black cottonwood, growing in ravines and other natural areas, fills
the air in the spring, probably in greater volumes than produced by
non-native urban trees.

We want to encourage pollinators, not discourage them, so plant females
that flower!  As always, plant trees that are suitable for the spaces in
which they will grow to maturity.

Owen Croy

On Wed, 4 Mar 2020 at 07:04, Rebecca Seltzer via CANUFNET <
canufnet at list.web.net> wrote:

> Hello everyone,
>
>
>
> We at Tree Canada just received some questions from a reporter at the
> Guardian, and I thought it would be good to share with the wider urban
> forestry community. Please do contact Ally Hirschlag directly with your
> comments.
>
>
>
> *Context:*
>
> “Male trees are cleaner and easier to manage than female trees. Unlike
> their female counterparts, distinctly male plants produce pollen but do not
> produce seeds, pods and fruit, which fall to the ground and create mess.
> Female trees also attract pests, including bees, because they provide a
> source of food.” Source
> <https://globalnews.ca/news/5403667/botanical-sexism-climate-change-asthma-allergies/>
>
>
>
> “Commercial horticulture produces vast numbers of all-male clonal
> selections from dioecious plants […] Close to 100% of all the ash (
> *Fraxinus)*, poplar (*Populus), *pistache *(Pistacia), *bay laurel *(Laurus),
> *junipers* (Juniperus), *willows* (Salix), *gingko tree *(Gingko), *
> Griselinia* (Griselinia), *mulberries* (Morus), *yellowwood*
> (Podocarpus), *locust* (Gleditsia) *and logwoods *(Xylosma) *sold are
> clonal males.” Source
> <https://books.google.ca/books?redir_esc=y&id=pAJCDwAAQBAJ&q=clonal+males#v=snippet&q=clonal%20males&f=false>
>
>
>
> *The questions:*
>
>    - In Canada, has there been a significant proportion of entirely male
>    trees or male clones planted in urban areas? Why has this trend been
>    perpetuated?
>    - Has this caused an uptick in pollen dispersal in urban communities?
>    - Do you know of specific communities in Canada looking to lower their
>    pollen count by adding more female trees and/or less allergy-causing
>    pollinators?
>    - What else are communities in Canada doing to combat worsening
>    allergies in urban or suburban areas due to high tree pollen counts?
>
> *Contact information:*
>
> Ally Hirschlag
>
> ally.hirschlag at gmail.com
>
> 2013144322
>
>
>
> Thank you all!
>
>
>
> [image: TreeCanada Logo]
>
> *Rebecca Seltzer*
>
> Program Assistant | Assistante de Programme
> treecanada.ca  arbrescanada.ca
>
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