Semi-Arid Shade trees?

Hello,

I've made a previous post about the best selections for fruit trees in the high desert/sagebrush steppe, but I recently visited my land again and the first plants I want to get in are for shade - the UV light is intense at mid-high elevation. I'm not worried about pinyons and arizona cypresses, but I am a bit more apprehensive about some deciduous trees (I want winter sun). Can anyone say from experience if the trees I'm growing now will do well on my land? Any input is appreciated

Site:
10.26" annual rainfall, cold semi-arid
~180 days frost-free season
~0F lowest temperature (Zone 6/7 depending on year)


What I have growing so far:
- Kentucky Coffeetree x 2
- Bur Oak x 1
- California Blue Oak (Acorns have roots, but no shoots yet) x3
- Chinese Juniper (experimental)

Potentials:
- Honey Locust. Apparently these do well in the drier parts of Colorado?
- Siberian elm. These seem to do well in abandoned lots nearby but I'm afraid they'd be too invasive to the surrounding area?
- Desert willow, easy to grow from seed but too bushy IMO

All the campgrounds I have stayed at in your neck of the woods are shaded with cottonwoods.  Not sure if there was an original watersource in the area that made their growth possible, ie high water table.  The big issue with cottonwoods is that they are brittle and will drop huge branches in high winds.

Maybe some on this list would be helpful…

https://leafyplace.com/desert-trees/

Also, drive/hike/bike around and look at what is growing well in your area.  A call to the local county extension agent (and/or forester, if you have one) might also be helpful.

Hello from the Mixtec region of Oaxaca, Mexico. We are at about 3000 feet above sea level, well below the tropic of Cancer, and get almost all our rain in 4 months of the year. The Mesquite family of trees are awesome! The best thing about them is they give wonderful shade at just the right time of year.  Which is right now here in Oaxaca. They flower about a third of the way into our dry season and are in full leaf right now (Mid-April) at the hot of our HOT season. Everything around is baked, dry and brown, but not the mesquite family, which includes Mesquite, Guamuchil, and Tehuixtle trees.  You can eat the pods of the first two and the third has been tested to be one of the most efficient firewoods around.  The only issue is I'm not sure how they do with your coldest of cold temperatures. Around here we have occasional frosts, not more than a couple of years, but never really freeze, never below say -2° C.

A quick google check showed there's a ton of information available in English on mesquites so I'll let you choose where to find more info.

We're at 6200' in New Mexico, very cold short winters, Siberian Elm and Russian Olive rule the roost here. All the old cottonwoods in our area have died, locusts seem to do OK but never get big enough to produce shade unless you have a groundwater source. The elms were here when we bought our place, and a local arborist advised us to get their saplings annually or they will invade, but so far (after 10 years) we've only had a few years where new sprouts posed a challenge. They are fast growing, great shade and habitat, just don't plant them where you want to grow anything else cuz they take all the water.

Gray Henon wrote:All the campgrounds I have stayed at in your neck of the woods are shaded with cottonwoods.  Not sure if there was an original watersource in the area that made their growth possible, ie high water table.  The big issue with cottonwoods is that they are brittle and will drop huge branches in high winds.

Yeah, I’ve only ever seen cottonwoods in riparian areas around here. I’ve read that they like their feet constantly wet

Leslie Moody wrote:We're at 6200' in New Mexico, very cold short winters, Siberian Elm and Russian Olive rule the roost here. All the old cottonwoods in our area have died, locusts seem to do OK but never get big enough to produce shade unless you have a groundwater source. The elms were here when we bought our place, and a local arborist advised us to get their saplings annually or they will invade, but so far (after 10 years) we've only had a few years where new sprouts posed a challenge. They are fast growing, great shade and habitat, just don't plant them where you want to grow anything else cuz they take all the water.

Ah okay, this seems to be what I’ve suspected then, they must only be extremely invasive with irrigation. How invasive do the Russian olives seem to be?

Greetings from 5,000’ elevation and 11” water in New Mexico.
Here are some questions for you, John, that will help with shade tree recommendations:
Do you have AZ cypress and or pinion growing on your property or near you?
The trees you mention in, “what I have growing so far,” are they succeeding in pots or have you planted them on your land already? What trees are already thriving on your land?
Are you looking for other shade tree suggestions or just want to know about the plants that you listed?
How far from your house would you like to plant your deciduous trees? (This will influence root system choice).
What supplemental water, if any, is available to the trees (roof water, street water, ground water, flood irrigation, drainage water, natural wash, flood irrigation)?
Do you have soil or the potential to enrich the naturally arid ground with regular composting or green manure crop?
Would you like to grow under-story plants beneath your deciduous shade tree?
Is this tree going to be in a protected place or highly exposed to wind?
Please let us know more about your specific site.

Amy Gardener wrote:Greetings from 5,000’ elevation and 11” water in New Mexico.
Here are some questions for you, John, that will help with shade tree recommendations:
Do you have AZ cypress and or pinion growing on your property or near you?
The trees you mention in, “what I have growing so far,” are they succeeding in pots or have you planted them on your land already? What trees are already thriving on your land?
Are you looking for other shade tree suggestions or just want to know about the plants that you listed?
How far from your house would you like to plant your deciduous trees? (This will influence root system choice).
What supplemental water, if any, is available to the trees (roof water, street water, ground water, flood irrigation, drainage water, natural wash, flood irrigation)?
Do you have soil or the potential to enrich the naturally arid ground with regular composting or green manure crop?
Would you like to grow under-story plants beneath your deciduous shade tree?
Is this tree going to be in a protected place or highly exposed to wind?
Please let us know more about your specific site.

Pinyons grow natively about 10 miles from the site. Arizona cypresses do not but I’m told they’re pretty similar with water needs.

The trees I listed I have in pots at my house, since they’re not big enough to plant yet. When I do plant I will heavily mulch and they’ll be in a deep bowl.I should mention that I don’t live on site, but maybe far in the future I will. When I’m there (once every few months or so) I’ll give each tree a bit of water.  As for where I’m planting, it’ll be on the edges of my lot and maybe one in the middle of it. The land is very flat with the exception of a small wash that runs through

I am surprised that coffeetree is surviving in those conditions. I may have to take another look at that tree.

I want to second the siberian elm and russian olive. According to the USDA, the russian olive can survive on 9 inches of rain per year. Since, it's borderline zone 7 then hardy honey mesquite is worth a try. Also, you could try mountain or curl leaf mahogany. They are shrubs, but can be pruned into a tree (which should be the deers' job).

As much as the idea of a beautiful shade tree sounds wonderful, the conditions described so far are insufficient, in my "Upper Sonoran" experience to support a transplant. Trees require a great deal of care, protection, soil building and regular supplemental water at the early stages of establishment, especially those growing in the desert. Contouring the land, permaculture style, to divert rainwater toward your tree is an important preliminary step. Studying the existing soil is essential for choosing a compatible tree. The plants that grow on your land now can survive without human intervention. If there are no existing trees, many site changes will be necessary to create conditions necessary for any tree to survive, let alone thrive.
This publication may be helpful for additional plant selection ideas for your region:
https://forestry.usu.edu/files/utah-forest-facts/selecting-trees-for-high-elevations.pdf
The term "microsite" in this pdf echos the need to understand the nuances to your specific place that may influence tree selection.
Wishing you success with your vision John.

Honey locust is a great fit. Also consider mesquites well suited for your climate.

With a little bit of supplemental watering: Zelkova, Hawthorne, Golden Raintree, mulberry.

The Siberian elm are an invasive but not noxiously so. I hear they have weak branches that are prone to breaking off. I would avoid the Russian olive because it is a noxious invasive. If it makes its way to creeks it will devastate the ecosystem.

If you have a warm location, you can also plant a hardy pomegranate, which requires a zone 7 microclimate. They're smaller and bushy but can be trained as a tree and they grow quickly.

If the land is flat, you should take some time nurture the land and create swales for the trees. Trees are best planted when they're young, and even better if they're planted from seed at site.

I would suggest a peppertree - Schinus molle - in Australia they can almost always be found where there is a failed homestead out in the bush, growing next to, or close to the ruins. Also feature in Council plantings.    They are green all year, feathery foliage, so semi-shade, and they absolutely hate wet feet. I have one that self set in the chicken pen and another down by the machinery shed that is huge.
Originally from South America, but I understand that they grow extensively in the U.S.

Hot and dry Africa here. Neem easily wins this competition But also really good arid shade trees: albizia, ficus and senna.

Where I used to live in northern California, blue oak was the main tree around.  It was quite dry....12 to 20 inches a year most years, and none in the hot summer.  It will be interesting if they grow well for you, since most of the rain in CA comes in the winter, whereas where you are might get at least some of the rain in the summer. I would put the acorns in the ground in their permanent positions soon....the initial taproot grows 18 inches to two feet straight down the first year, often before any evidence of them appears above.