What Are the 10 Trees?
Yes, this is a question we often get asked! So here, for the record, is a list of the ten trees identified by Diana Beresford-Kroeger as crucial to saving our planet. They were selected for their robustness, ability to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, ability to withstand temperature change, drought hardiness and for their use as a food source for humans, birds, bats, insects and mammals. The trees are native to different parts of the world, so if you decide you want to plant one, please make sure it is native to your area!
1. The English Oak Quercus robar
This tree, also commonly referred to as the Irish Oak or Truffle Oak is native to Asia Minor (an area corresponding to the western two-thirds of Turkey), North Africa, the Caucasus (a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia) and Europe.
2. The Black Walnut Juglans Nigra
The Black Walnut is native to North America, where it is found in central and eastern USA and eastern Canada. It is renowned for it’s beautiful hardwood and nuts.
The leaves and nuts of the Black Walnut tree
3. Redwood Sequoia semervirens
The Redwood is also referred to as the California Redwood or Coast Redwood. It is an evergreen native to the Pacific coast of North America.
Redwood Trees
4. Atlas Cedar Cedrus atlantica
This cedar is often found in temperate gardens but is native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria in northern Africa.
The Atlas Cedar
5. Baobob Tree Adansonia digitata
Also referred to as the Monkey Bread or Dead Rat tree, the Baobob can grow to a massive girth of 28 meters! It is native to hot, dry savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa.
The Baobob Tree
6. Red Mangrove Rhizophora mangle
The Red Mangrove likes to grow in swampy areas worldwide, in coastal and estuarine areas of the tropics and subtropics of the northern and the southern hemispheres.
The Red Mangrove
7. Teak Tectona grandis
Most famous for the beautiful furniture it is made into, teak is a deciduous hardwood tree native to India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, northern Thailand, and northwestern Laos.
A teak plantation
8. Mountain Ash Eucalyptus Eucalyptus regnans
Also commonly called the swamp gum tree, Eucalyptus regnans can grow to well over 300 feet. It is native to southeastern Australia,Tasmania and Victoria.
Mountain Ash Eucalyptus
9. Sugi Cryptomeria japonica
This is the national tree of its native Japan, where is is considered sacred and planted around shrines and temples. It is commonly called the Japanese ceder, but it is not a true cedar and is more closely related to the sequoia.
Diana pauses for a quiet moment with a Sugi tree during filming at Kifune Shrine in Japan.
10. Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris
The Scots Pine, also known as the Scotch Pine or Scotch Fir, is the most widespread conifer in the world. It is native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland and Portugal in the west, to Siberia in the east, south to the Caucasus Mountains , and north to the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia.
The Scots Pine
About Post Author
Happy to see Scots Pine listed. They grow great around here. I’ve planted lots and they seed themselves as well. They were planted in plantations in this area about 50 years ago by the government.
I want to try a Black Walnut here as well.
Thank you for your wonderful ideas. I am anxious to apply them. Can you tell me what other trees you would recommend for the area of S. Ontario besides the Black Walnut. We sustained a bad ice storm this winter and many of us may be taking down splintered trees including many softwoods which didn’t sustain the weight of the ice well and planting new hopefully more robust trees. Thank you for your attention to my question.
I would like to send an email and picture to Diana. Can you tell me how to contact her? I’ve enjoyed her blog and “The Global Forest” so much.
Thank you. Hap
Dear Hap,
Diana does not have internet access as she refers to live privately, off the grid. If you would like to send your correspondence to our production office, we can see that Diana receives it. Email can be directed to: info@meritmotionpictures.com and regular mail to: 10 Trees, 248 Princess Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 1M2 attn: Dodie
Thank you for writing!
Hi Amanda,
Diana recommends that you check your local library for copies of two of her books, “Arboretum America: A Philosophy of the Forest” and “Arboretum Borealis: A Lifeline of the Planet” to read about the various trees which do well in your area. Native species are best and variety is healthy!
Hi there – thanks for acting as intermediary for Dr. Beresford-Kroeger. I haven’t had a chance to read her book(s) yet, but would like to know if she notes anywhere the toxic output of walnut/butternut trees on her list. They emit an enzyme that prevents several other plants, including tomatoes, from growing within a certain perimeter around their root systems, and is especially toxic to horses (I don’t know if any other species are especially sensitive). I’m wondering what other fast-growing tree species might work almost as well, in the Ottawa/Gatineau hills area.
Many thanks.
Bob Martin
Hi Bob,
Diana has written extensively about the Juglans nigra or Black Walnut/Butternut. In fact, an entire chapter of her book, Arboretum America, is devoted to them and details all aspects of their characteristics, including the very enzyme you mention. She goes on to offer advice on where best to plant them in relation to other plants (page 86, Arboretum America). If you can find a copy in your local library, you will also be able to deduce which types of trees will work best for you to plant based on your particular growing conditions.
Thank you very much Dodie. That is very helpful. We are planting new trees in our garden this spring and may plant some in the wild, too.
This is of Great interest to me and others in the Okanagan Valley of B.C. Interested in the Shag Bark Hicorery ,would this be a good fit for the O.K.Valley??? Thanks for your time,Dennis Phillips
Dear Dennis,
The shagbark hickory, or Carya ovata can grow in zones 3 – 10 comfortably. It is native to eastern Canada mainly. If you can get your hands on a copy of Diana’s book “Arboretum America – A Philosophy of the Forest”, you will find an entire chapter on the hickories and how to plant and tend them. Thanks for writing!
We have some land in Haliburton On and plan on buying a farm near Peterborough On. What trees would you suggest we plant at these locations and where to buy them . Also for Peterborough I would like to find out where to purchase fruit trees ,especially old varieties of apple like Macoun.
Thanks Blair
Hi Blair,
Diana does not have internet access and this blog is managed on her behalf from our film’s production office in Winnipeg.
Diana’s best advice is to check your local library for a copy of her book “Aboretum America” A Philosophy of the Forest” to determine what types of trees might suit your particular conditions. Are there nurseries in your area which use primarily organic growing practices? This would also be a good place to ask questions.
Thanks for writing in!