Whether it’s the leafy green of summer or the myriad of fall colors, Bexley’s tree canopy provides both beauty and the perfect accent to our fine collection of houses and other buildings.  But Bexley’s trees contribute to the health and sustainability of our community in many other ways:

• ·      Bexley’s 14,000 street trees help create and foster pedestrian activity which in turn studies show lead to increased safety.

• ·      Other studies reveal that tree lined streets add a  $10,000 – $20,000 premium to real estate values.

• ·      The quality of the air that we breathe is made cleaner by the trees’ removal of CO2 from the air.

• ·      Bexley’s storm drainage runoff is greatly reduced due to the street trees absorbing this water.

The summer shade of Bexley’s street trees helps  to cool the streets reducing the sun’s damage and extending the life of the pavement,  therefore reducing costs. The trees keep the birds eating and singing, providing source of food, perches, and nests.

So go ahead, and hug a tree today – they deserve it

Treeplotter is an extensive tree inventory system that uses GIS technology to help us manage our urban forest. We offer public access to our database so curious minds can better understand this unique municipal arboretum. For insight on how our canopy compares to other communities, review our global green rating on HGSI by clicking here or by going to our “about” page.

Bexley Landmark Tree Program

To celebrate the diverse and uncommon trees throughout our community, the Tree and Public Gardens Commission partnered with the City of Bexley to initiate a program to designate significant trees growing around Bexley. The Landmark Tree program provides a means of identifying and designating stately trees for others to enjoy and appreciate. This project has been going on long before we became an arboretum. In fact, since 2003, over 30 trees have achieved this ultimate status. Do you know of a Landmark tree in your neighborhood? You can nominate trees to be recognized. For the class of 2023, all Landmark candidates were park trees in honor of year of the parks.

What would qualify as a Bexley Landmark Tree? A tree may be nominated because of historic importance, and/or possessing outstanding characteristics of its species, including size, shape, variety, coloration, caliber, height, or rarity. The nominated tree could be located on either private or public property. Once chosen as a Bexley Landmark Tree, the tree will be marked with a physical designation such as a plaque or sign. Click the button below to view a guided tree walk map that will lead you on a Landmark Tree tour.

These four images are all trees from the Landmark Tree class of 2023. Inspired by The Year Of The Parks, the 2023 nominees were all located in Bexley public parks. Observe these trees for yourself and explore the many other Landmark Trees around Baxley with our guided map.

Paper-barked Maple (Acer griseum)

Chosen for its four season interest, this small maple tree gets its name from the attractive exfoliating bark. Growing only up to 30 feet tall, what this tree lacks in size it makes up for it in beauty. These trees prefer moist, well- drained soil but can tolerate alkaline soils or road salt conditions which make it a good candidate in the urban setting. Non- native

For more information, click here.

Freedman Maple (Acer freemanii)

A fast growing maple hybrd that is a cross between silver and red maple. Popular for its bright fall colors.

For more information, click here.

Norway Maple (Acer platanoides )

Planted for its tolerance for the urban environment, Norway maples grow fast and vigorous. In recent years, scientist have noticed they display aggressive growth habits. Professional deliberation is recommended before installing in your landscape. Be carful not to confuse Norway and Sugar maples, their leaves do look similar. - Non-native

For more information, click here.

Columnar Maple (Acer platanoides ‘columnare’)

Selected for their upright, compact canopy these trees can fill unique areas of the landscape.

Click here for more information.

Red Maple( Acer rubrum )

A colorful tree year round, which gets its name from the red buds seen in the spring and its red leaves in the fall. It is a highly adaptable tree with the ability to grow in many different environments. Red maples are commonly seen throughout much of the eastern U.S. and Canada, both in the wilderness and urban areas.- Native

For more information, click here.

Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum)

Identify this maple variety by the deep lobes on its leaves. This is a fast growing tree that is known to have aggressive roots. Silver maples do well in areas that have wet soil.

For more information, click here.

Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)

A slow growing tree with a mature size of 80’ tall and 40’ wide. This is the tree that maple syrup is made from and the 11 point leaf can be found on many syrup bottles. Every year city arborists tap Bexley sugar maples and boil their sap to make our own maple syrup at the Jeffrey Woods festival. Learn to identify their cupped bark to tap your own sugar maple. - Native species

For more information, click here.

Tartarian maple (Acer Tataricum)

This is a smaller tree option that grows up to 18 feet tall and wide. In recent years this tree has caught attention for spreading quickly and displaying invasive traits. Use caution before introducing this into your landscape.

For more information, here.

Shantung maple ( Acer truncatum )

This low but fast growing maple variety is good for planting in tight spaces or under powerlines. Known for its showy fall color, this tree is growing in popularity since its introduction to the US. -Non-native

For more information, click here.

Red Horsechestnut ( Aesculus Carnea )

A medium sized flowering tree that reaches up to 40’ in height. Like all maple, ash dogwood and buckeye species this tree has opposite branch arrangement. -Non native

For more information, click here.

Arnold Buckeye- ( Aesculus Arnoldiana )

This medium-sized tree reaches up to 15-35 feet tall and likes moist, well-drained soil. not recommended to be planted in dry soils. It is a shade tolerant species .

For more information, click here.

Ohio Buckeye- ( Aesculus glabra)

This tree shares the same shape and structure of the other buckeyes, medium size with opposite branch structure. The Ohio Buckeye is the official state tree. Buckeye trees often suffer from leaf blotch in the summer months but it does not usually cause the tree harm.

For more information, click here.

Sawtooth Oak (Quercus acutissima)

This is a large tree species, reaching up to 100 feet at maturity. Sawtooth oaks get their name from pointed serrations on the edge of the leaf. In youth, sawtooths have smooth bark which transitions to deep furrows with age. The acorn caps are shaggy and cover most of the fruit. Native to eastern Asia, but introduced to the US around 1920.

For more information click here.

White Oak (Quercus alba)
A slow growing tree with wide spreading branches, 50’ to 80’ in height.  The light gray bark sheds in ragged flakes when young and is deeply furrowed when the tree matures. The acorns from white oak are a favored food source to many. Look for rounded leaf lobes to distinguish white from red oak. -Native species

For more information click here.

Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor)

This is one of the more stately white oak varieties with its wide reaching limbs. Like all oaks, swamp white oaks are ecological keystones providing benefits to hundreds of native species. Its peeling bark and pale under leaf offers 4 seasons of interest. It is an excellent shad tree growing to 60’ high and wide at maturity and sequesters a ton of carbon. -Native Species

For more information, click here.

Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea)
A large tree 70’ to 75’ in height and 40’ to 50’ in spread and is often mistaken for a Pin Oak.  It is fast growing and prefers acidic well drained soils. The leaves are deeply cut with pointed lobes, their striking red color in the fall give this tree its name. -Native species

For more information, click here.

Shingle Oak (Quercus imbricaria)
A pyramidal, slow growing tree that can reach 50’ to 60’ in height, broadens in old age. Shingle oaks can be tricky to identify because relative to the oak family, the leaves are unique with their oblong and unlobed (entire) shape. In dormancy, the leaves turn rust brown and often remain on the branches until spring. -Native Species

For more information, click here.

Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa)
A very large and slow growing tree that can grow up to 70’ to 100’ tall. Well known for its whimsical stretching branch structure, this is a great tree suited for parks and open space.  It has “fiddle-shaped” leaves, with its large rounded leaves, its very large acorns and dark gray bark also help with identification. - Native Species

For more information, click here.

Chinkapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii)
A medium tree, considered small for oaks, chinkapins grow up to 40’ to 60’ tall.  It has a slow to medium growth rate and grows in most soils including alkaline. Acorns are small ovular with scaly caps and the leaves have less noticeable lobes, appearing more like rounded serrations. - Native Species

For more information, click here.

Pin Oak (Quercus palustris)
A pyramidal native tree with 60’ to 70’ height and 25’ to 40’ spread with low descending branches, middle horizontal branches and upright upper branches.  It is one of the fastest growing oaks but shortest lived, with a life expectancy of 120 years. Its wood was once used for cabin building and wood working- which is where they get their name ( wood pins).  It can tolerate wet soils but will develop iron chlorosis (yellowing leaves due to iron deficiency) in alkaline soils. -Native species

For more information, click here.

Willow Oak (Quercus phellos)
A bottomland oak with similar growth habit of the Pin Oak, excluding the lower descending branching.  They are fast growing, transplants well and prefers acidic soil but tolerates poor drainage.  The Narrow elliptical leaves give this tree its name, they look more like willow leaves than oaks you can identify them by their excurrent growth habit. You can find a beautiful row of willow oak in the Jeffrey meadow. -Native species

For additional information, click here.

Chestnut oak ( Quercus prinus )

Known for their ability to withstand dry, barren soils chestnut oaks are often found growing other drought tolerant oaks such as black and scarlet oaks. Their dark, leathery leaves not only offer landscape appeal but help them retain moisture. Naturally found in the dry, rocky highlands of the Appalachian region, chestnut oaks are often called ‘mountain oaks’. Chestnut oaks can be identified by their unique, -look for ridges that are triangular in cross section separated by deep furrows when mature. -Native species

For additional information, click here.

English Oak (Quercus Robur)

This long living oak grows best in partial sun and well drained soil. It is often used to generate hybrids in nurseries. In the urban setting it often maxes out at around 50 feet in width and height. As its name implies, it originates from Europe and is non-native.

For more information, click here.

Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra)
A faster-growing oak tree that grows to 60’ to 75’ in height and equal spread.  It has dark gray bark smooth when young and becoming furrowed with age.  Fall color ranges from red to brown. In contrast to white oaks, red oaks can be identified by their pointed lobes. Their tolerance to pollution and street salt make them a good choice for the urban setting. There are some great examples of Northern Red Oaks at Havenwood park.- Native species

For more information, click here.

Shumard Oak (Quercus shumardii)
The largest member of the Red Oak family with a growth habIt 40’ to 60’ a height and equal spread. It is a moderate to fast grower and tolerates poor and clay soils and has some drought resistance but prefers wet, well drained soil. Its leaves displays vibrant red fall color. - Native species

For more information, click here.