Tree service companies here in the greater Cincinnati area keep pretty busy throughout the year. Why? Because Cincinnati is a place where trees love to grow. The humidity is high, there are four distinct seasons, we get plenty of precipitation throughout the year and the soil is ideal for sprouting huge trees, both deciduous and coniferous.
Which are the trees that we see most often in Hamilton County and the surrounding areas? Here are three that thrive in large numbers in and around Cincinnati. Two of them have even loaned their names to major streets in downtown Cincinnati: Sycamore and Walnut.
1. The Sycamore
Our friend, the sycamore, is the biggest deciduous tree that grows in the eastern U.S. A healthy sycamore can grow to be 100 feet tall, with a trunk that can be as much as 10 feet in diameter.
Also known as the buttonwood or the buttonball, the sycamore is notable for its bark, which grows in a brown-gray camouflage pattern. Underneath the camouflage bark is white or light gray wood. Older sycamores lose the camo effect and just have solid, light gray trunks.
Since the sycamore is so massive, it is not ideal for most people’s yards, and its huge root structure can cause neighborhood sidewalks to buckle and bend from underneath. But in the right location, a sycamore can be a lovely addition to a suburban landscape.
2. The Walnut
Walnut trees are best known for their stone fruits – the two- or three-segmented nut that is delicious to many and is a fixture of cakes and cookies everywhere. The walnut shell is wrinkly, giving it a distinctive and easily recognizable look.
The two common varieties of walnut trees in our area are the black walnut and the Persian (or English) walnut trees. The black walnut tree is what you would expect to see most often in Ohio. Since the black walnuts themselves have very hard shells, they are not used for commercial nut production because shelling them would be too expensive. Black walnuts are, however, very flavorful (just in case you felt like taking on that task yourself with the nuts from your backyard black walnut tree).
3. The Birch
The bark of the birch tree is marked with long, horizontal lines (called lenticels), and that bark splits into thin, papery plates that are shed by the tree annually. Different birches produce different colored bark, hence the gray birch, white birch, black, silver, and yellow birch varieties. Any tree service company that does tree trimming work in Cincinnati has likely worked with all of these birch color varieties.
Birches tend to be somewhat short-lived, and are a “pioneer species,” known for spreading quickly after a fire or other disturbance has cleared out other brush and tree growth. They thrive throughout the Cincinnati area.
Is your yard home to any of these common Cincinnati tree species? Do you have questions about how best to care for them, or do you want to have a professional step in to help with annual tree trimming, cabling or bracing heavy branches, or the removal of any dead trees or stumps? These are the three most common types of trees found in the greater Cincinnati area, but they aren’t the only ones. Here at Tree Images, we have the experience and know-how to care for all of your Cincinnati trees, be they sycamore, birch, walnut, or any other type of Cincinnati tree. We’re here to help you care for your trees and make sure they live healthy, happy, arboreal lives. Give us a call to find out how we can help you and your trees.
