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

[Gerard .]

Owen,
Plants with both sexes on the same tree are monecious. Diecious trees have been only one sex or the other. Female poplar or willow trees can create issues that with  all the fluffy seeds that are produces, which can also become a fire hazard, in areas where they are common. Other trees, such as crabapples, have perfect flowers, with male and female parts in the same flower.
Gerard Fournier

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From: canufnet at list.web.net
Sent: March 4, 2020 1:45 PM
To: canufnet at list.web.net
Reply-to: canufnet at list.web.net
Cc: urbanforestryguy at gmail.com; rseltzer at treecanada.ca
Subject: Re: [CANUFNET] Tree "Sexism" in Canada: Call for information & thoughts

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<mailto: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<mailto:ally.hirschlag at gmail.com>
2013144322<tel:2013144322>

Thank you all!

[TreeCanada Logo]
Rebecca Seltzer
Program Assistant | Assistante de Programme
treecanada.ca<http://treecanada.ca>  arbrescanada.ca<https://arbrescanada.ca/>
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