Download Woody Tree and Shrub Checklist for Emigration Creek Natural Area

Woody Tree and Shrub Checklist for Emigration Creek Natural Area
Westminster College Campus
Dr. A. T. Harrison, Biology Dept., Jan. 2000
Purpose and Nature of Project:
This is a preliminary inventory of trees and shrubs that are found along Emigration Creek as it
passes 1/8 of a mile, from east to west, across Westminster campus, at 1300 E. in Salt Lake City.
All plants listed were found only on the creek banks. This small, riparian forest is a mixture of
native and non-native species. The original pre-settlement trees along the creek were primarily
Box Elder with scattered Peachleaf Willow, Narrowleaf Cottonwood, and Gambel’s Oak. There
are a few, native understory shrub species such as Chokecherry, Wood’s Rose, Black Hawthorn
and Red Osier Dogwood growing along the creek. Over the past 15 years, students and
volunteers have planted additional native understory, shade tolerant shrubs such as Creeping
Oregon Grape, Golden Current and Chokecherry to enhance wildlife value and prevent erosion
along the steep creek banks. This list will be helpful for students trying to identify species for
class projects. Trees and shrubs can be identified by their leaves and flowers during the spring
and summer, and can also be identified by their twig and branch characteristics during the
winter.
Learning Resources for Local Tree and Shrub Identification:
An internet site that provides useful illustrations for such identification can be found at:
http://gaia.flemingc.on.ca/~dhendry/.
Good tree identification guides for local trees include:
Rocky Mountain Tree Finder, Tom Watts, 1972, Nature Study Guild Rochester, New
York;
Mountain Plants of Northeastern Utah, Berniece A. Andersen and Arthur H. Holmgren,
Revised 1996,Utah State Univ. Extension HG 506
Trees of Utah, Sherman G. Brough and Darrell J. Weber, 1993 Bristlecone Press, Provo,
Utah.
A useful cultivated tree and shrub identification guide is Manual of Cultivated Plants by
Liberty Hyde Bailey available in the Westminster College Library
Importance of Learning Native vs. Introduced Species:
Over the past hundred years, non-native trees and shrubs have been accidentally and
intentionally introduced to the creek by man, birds and wind from adjacent landscapes. Those
are noted in the following alphabetized list with an asterisk following the common names. An
awareness of native vs. introduced species is important in urban area natural restoration projects
since many of the introduced species grow more rapidly that the native species and over a period
of time will kill them out. In addition the introduced landscape tree and shrub species often have
little value to native animals such as birds. Learning to distinguish native trees and shrubs from
non-native species will be important for future management of this and other “semi-natural”,
urban forest habitats. This list is typical of the riparian forest remnants along almost all the
creeks in Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County. These important native habitats along our
remaining urban streams are gradually being taken over and replaced by less desirable or
ecologically less valuable assemblages of common landscape trees and shrubs. Learning to
recognize and name these trees and shrubs will become increasingly important in the future to
foster efforts toward urban habitat restoration projects.
TREES
Common Name
American Elm*
Latin Name
Ulmus americana
Bigtooth Maple
Acer grandidentatum
Black Hawthorn
Crataegus douglasii
Blue Spruce
Picea pungens
Box Elder
Acer negundo var.
interior
Abies concolor
Concolor Fir
Douglas Fir
Pseudotsuga
douglasii
English Walnut *
Juglans
Flowering Plum *
Prunus sp.
Fremont Cottonwood
Populus fremontii
Gambel Oak
Quercus gambelli
Green Ash *
Fraxinus
pennsylvanica
Horse Chestnut
Hybrid Cottonwood
Aesculus
hippocastanum
Populus X
Mahaleb Cherry *
Prunus mahaleb
Notes
Scattered, Reaches 2-5, others?
Leaves larger than Siberian Elm.
Tubelings planted in 1988-94 on
upper areas of Reach 2 (above trail)
Only one small, native tree on north
side of Reach 7 W. of stairway of
Reach 6
Reach 2,south side
Seedlings 1998
The most common, large native tree
in all Reaches
Reach 2, south side.
Seedlings 1998
Reach 2 , south side
one Seedling from appx.1988
other seedlings planted in 1998
Several trees north side Reach 5
and elsewhere?
Several on south side of creek,
Reaches 3 & 5
Several large, mature trees on north
side of creek Reach 6. Probably
from seedling when soccer field
was constructed in
Only two clones, S. side of Reach
5, north side of Reaches 6 or 7.
Seedlings from acorns plants in
appx. 1994 along track fence of
Reach 5
Scatter seedlings and saplings on
both sides of Reaches 1,2,3,4,5,6.
Need to be removed.
Several scattered saplings and
seedlings.
All Reaches. Leaves lance-shaped,
intermediate between narrow and
broadleaf cottonwood species.
One on north side of Reach 1
Narrowleaf Cottonwood Populus angustifolia
Norway Maple *
Acer platanoides
Peachleaf Willow
Salix amygdaloides
Siberian Elm *
Ulmus pumila
Thinleaf Alder
Alnus tenuifolia
Tree of Heaven *
Ailanthus altissima
Water Birch
Betula occidentalis
Only mature tree S. side of Reach 2
with small clonal root sprouts
around it. Transplanted (1993) east
of bridge in Reach 2.
Both sides of creek, esp. west of
Nunemaker . Need to be removed.
Only three trees, one on S. side
Reach 1, 2 on north side Reach 6.
Reach 1 tree predates 1983-84 flood
by appx. ten years and Reach 6
trees were seedlings established
after 1983-84 floods.
Several large trees, Reaches 1,2, 4,
6 & seedlings. Need to be
removed.
One planted 1997 on creek bank N.
side Reach 4.
Weedy tree with many seedlings&
saplings, both sides of Reaches
3,4,5,6. Need to be removed and
controlled.
Scattered, planted trees, S. side
Reach 1, N. & S. side Reach 4.
Older trees planted?
SHRUBs
Common
Name
Cottoneaster*
Latin Name
Notes
Cottoneaster sp?
Chokecherry
Prunus
virginiana var.
melanocarpa
Golden Currant
Ribes aureum
Oregon Grape
Mahonia repens
Fragrant
Sumac
Poison Ivy
Rhus aromatica
var. trilobata
Rhus
toxicodendron
Pyracantha *
Pyracantha sp.
Seeds introduced by overnight roosting birds
from surrounding homes and urban landscapes.
Some planted below Nunemaker in Reach 4?
Also in Reaches 1 and others?
No original plants. Seedlings planted N. side of
Reach 2 in 1988-90, purple leaf variety. Other
bare root seedlings donated by Tree Utah planted
in 1996-97 on north & south side of Reach 2,
north side of Reach 3, north side Reach 4 and 6.
No original plants. All existing shrubs planted
in 1996-97, from Tree Utah donation. North
side of Reaches 2,3,4,5,6.
No original plants. All existing shrubs planted
either in 1993 or 1997 from Tree Utah
donations.
Reaches 2,3,4,5,6.
Only two plants E. and W. of stairs on S. side of
Reach 5.
Only one plant growing with the Gambel’s Oak
and Fragrant Sumac E. of stairs on S. side of
Reach 5.
Several plants, one on S. side of Reach 1.
Others?
At least 3 plants W. of Nunemaker, Reach 4?
Also probably in thicket of Reach 1.
Several plants W. of Nunemaker, Reach 4 and
probably other Reaches .
Privet*
Tartarian
Honeysuckle*
Lonicera
tartarica