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Recommended trees and plants for the Arrowhead region of Minnesota

Map of woodlands of Minnesota, courtesy of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

We’ve been rolling out tree and plant lists for stewards looking to rewild your backyard woods of less than 20 acres. The lists we’re releasing today are for the Northern Superior Uplands, which is region 2 on the map shown here. All of the trees and plants on this list are: 1) native to Minnesota or nearby in the Eastern Deciduous Forest, 2) climate resilient, and 3) beneficial to the little creatures that are the base of the ecosystem. 

As we mentioned in the recommendations for the Chippewa Plains and Pine Moraine-Outwash Plains, some of these species may be surprising, especially those classified as having strong migration potential. In other words, some species not native to Minnesota, such as bigleaf magnolia, are expected to thrive in the future climate here in Minnesota. These species may arrive in Minnesota either by natural range expansion due to climate change, or by human-assisted migration as land owners and managers plan for climate change. 

We highly recommend that you work with a forester or another natural resource professional to determine if implementing assisted migration strategies is the best option for your land and goals. Climate-smart management strategies can fall anywhere on the spectrum of Resistance, Resilience, or Transition; your goals and desired future conditions will help you to decide if assisted migration (Transition) is the best option for you.

Recommended trees for the Northern Superior Uplands

Common name Scientific name Plant type Height Width Soil requirements Light requirements
Juneberry (serviceberry) Amelanchier spp. Shrub, Tree 30' 15' clay, does well in medium to course texture part shade, sun
Pagoda dogwood Cornus alternifolia Shrub, Tree 18' 12' Prefers acidic, Prefers evenly-moist Full sun, Part sun
Chokecherry Prunus virginiana Shrub, Tree 25' 20' Adaptable Full sun
Hackberry Celtis occidentalis Shrub, Tree 75' 60' Adaptable, Prefers well-drained, Tolerates alkaline, Tolerates dry Full sun
Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis Shrub, Tree 30' 25' Prefers evenly-moist, Prefers well-drained, Tolerates alkaline Full sun, Part sun
Honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos Shrub, Tree 60' 50' Adaptable, Prefers evenly-moist, Tolerates alkaline, Tolerates dry, Tolerates sandy soil Full sun
Red maple Acer rubrum Tree 55' 45' Prefers acidic, Prefers evenly-moist Full sun, Part sun
Sugar maple Acer saccharum Tree 80' 60' Prefers evenly-moist, Prefers well-draine Full sun, Part sun
Yellow birch Betula alleghaniensis Tree 45' 50' prefers deep well-drained loam, but tolerates rocky soil or shallow peat Full sun, Part sun
Ironwood (hophornbeam) Ostrya virginiana Tree 65' 25' Prefers well-drained, Tolerate alkaline, Tolerates dry Part sun
White pine Pinus strobus Tree 80' 40' Prefers evenly-moist Full sun, Part sun
Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa Tree 75' 80' Adaptable Full sun
Northern red oak Quercus rubra Tree 80' 50' Tolerates dry Full sun, Part sun
Basswood Tilia americana Tree 90' 50' Adaptable, Prefers evenly-moist, Tolerates dry, Tolerates sandy soil Full sun
Sweet birch Betula lenta Tree 50' 45' Prefers acidic, Prefers evenly-moist Full sun
American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana Tree 20 - 35' Average to moist soil Part shade, Shade
Bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis Tree 75' 30' Prefers evenly-moist Full sun, Part sun
Shagbark hickory Carya ovata Tree 80' 35' dry sandy or rocky soil Full sun, Part sun
Black walnut Juglans nigra Tree 60' 75' Prefers evenly-moist Full sun
Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua Tree 60 - 100' 40 - 50' Well-drained soils Full sun, Part sun
Bigleaf magnolia Magnolia macrophylla Tree 30 - 40' 20 - 25' Prefers moist, well-drained, loamy organically rich soils
Sycamore Platanus occidentalis Tree 75-100' 75-100' Prefers fertile soils, tolerates clay, sand, loam, alkaline and wet soils Full sun
Cottonwood Populus deltoides Tree 90' 60' Adaptable, Tolerates dry, Tolerates sandy soil Full sun, Part sun
White oak Quercus alba Tree 75' 80' Prefers well-drained, Tolerates dry Full sun
Swamp white oak Quercus bicolor Tree 60' 50' Prefers evenly-moist, Tolerates dry, Tolerates sandy soil Full sun, Part sun
Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii Tree 30 - 60' 50 - 60' Adaptable Full sun
Chestnut oak Quercus prinus Tree 60' 50' Adaptable Full sun
Eastern hemlock Tsuga canadensis Tree 40' 25' Prefers well-drained Full sun

Recommended plants for the Northern Superior Uplands

Common name Scientific name Plant type Height Width Soil requirements Light requirements
Bunchberry Cornus canadensis Herbaceous Plant 12" 12" Prefers acidic, Prefers evenly-moist
Large-leaved aster Eurybia macrophylla Herbaceous Plant 60" 24" Adaptable part shade, shade
Canada mayflower Maianthemum canadense Herbaceous Plant 6" 8" Prefers acidic, Prefers high organic matter part shade, shade
Mountain rice grass (rough-leaved rice grass) Oryzopsis asperifolia Herbaceous Plant 10 - 26" alkaline, average to dry rocky soil part shade, sun
Beaked hazelnut Corylus cornuta Shrub 12' 9' Prefers medium textured soil, usually found on moister sites compared to American hazelnut Full sun
Bush honeysuckle Diervilla lonicera Shrub 3' 4' Adaptable Full sun, Part sun

What’s next?

We will keep rolling out tree and plant lists for your backyard woods throughout the coming months. We’ll also highlight some of the interesting and surprising species that are included in these lists. Sign up here to receive our monthly newsletter to be notified of future posts in the series.

Author: Anna Stockstad, Extension forestry educator

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