Ash trees have been dying throughout lower Michigan for several years, and the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) menace is spreading. While there are some treatments that can hold off the borer and save trees, they are costly and usually only practical for high value landscape trees.

A lot of home owners are asking what kind of trees they should plant. The answer is certainly NOT any ash species. There are plenty of outstanding options.

Check the panel on the right for recommendations from Michigan and other states with EAB problems.

Many thanks to urban foresters Kevin Sayers, Michigan DNR, and Tom Dilley, USDA-Forest Service for these documents and links.

 

Lists of recommended trees to plant in Michigan

The Michigan DNR provides a list of tree species suitable for our area as a PDF file and also a list of trees NOT recommended for planting (PDF.)

Michigan State University Extension also provides a list in PDF form.

Here's a list of recommended trees from Illinois that compares trees by important site characteristics. Most of the Northern Illinois species are suitable for Southern Michigan. The list is available as both PDF and Excel files.

Ohio has a lot of EAB infested areas and the Ohio State Extension group has prepared a set of recommended alternatives to ash. The document has 84 pages with photos of mature trees. This is a large document to download (5.7mb) as a PDF file.

Purdue University and the USDA-Forest Service also have a list as a PDF file and the Indiana DNR has their list too (PDF)

Several online tools are available to help select trees suitable for planting in our region. One site, the Northern Tree Selector was developed by Rutgers University, the University of Florida, and the USDA-Forest Service. The University of Illinois Extension group also has a site for Selecting Trees for Your Home.