Know Your Tree

Help us out by telling us what kind of tree you have. If you can let your Arborist know what kind of tree to expect, it can be of tremendous help to the diagnostic process. Certain trees are prone to specific defects or diseases that an Arborist can anticipate prior to viewing. Below are some of the most common species that one would find in our urban environment (National Capital Region).

Sugar Maple

The sugar maple is found in central and southern Ontario. It’s a large tree that can grow up to 35 metres tall, and can live for more than 200 years. The shape of the leaf is well known – it’s found on the Canadian flag and is the national tree of Canada.

Oak

The oak is a large tree that can live for several hundred years. It’s found in southern Ontario and can grow to be more than 35 metres tall. Its leaves are 10 to 20 centimetres long and have 7 to 9 lobes. They are bright green on top and are a paler green underneath.
Variations: Bur Oak, Red Oak and White Oak.

Spruce

The white spruce is a common tree in the north, but it can grow in southern Ontario. The white spruce usually grows to be 24 metres tall and it usually lives between 250 and 350 years, but trees up to 1,000 years old have been seen.
Variations: White Spruce and Black Spruce.

Pine

Found in most of Ontario, the eastern white pine can grow to be more than 40 metres tall. It grows quickly and best with full sunlight. It has skinny needles that are 6 to 12 centimetres long.
Variations: Eastern White Pine and Red Pine.

Eastern White Cedar

The eastern white cedar is a small, hardy, slow growing tree. It usually lives for about 200 years, but can occasionally live much longer. It grows throughout Ontario and is usually found in swampy areas where the rock underneath is limestone.

White Birch

The white birch is found everywhere in Ontario except for along the shore of Hudson Bay. It’s a medium sized tree that can be 25 metres tall. Leaves from the white birch tree are egg–shaped or triangular in shape and are 5 to 10 centimetres long.