your state forestry division should be able to provide a lits of good trees...

who would take the time to make a list of bad ones... well??? ... i dont know ... everything not on the good list???

crikey.. cant remember your state ... to google your state forestry site ...

new england is a rather broad definition ...

ken

'New England' though ranges from gardening zones 3 to 7! Big box stores usually use the cold tolerance zones to determine what they sell. Obviously, this is only a very crude measure, as it leaves out precipitation amount (and type), its annual distribution, heat tolerances, etc.. Take the latter factor, a tree may be cold tolerant to New England zone 7 (Cape Cod), but lack adequate summer heat for the proper maturation of its wood (which actually does relate to it Winter hardiness). 'Hardiness ' is a fairly complex notion (so many factors), and given New England really is diverse as a region, I won't know where to start in compiling such a list of problem trees. (Maybe avoid trees which have a relatively high summer heat requirement for starters.)

If you can think of any trees carried by your local Big Box store that you find aren't cold hardy in your area, that would be helpful. If you know of trees that frequently don't survive because of summer heat requirements even though they are growing in an area that in theory should be in their zone, that would be useful to know.

I was thinking more about humidity and disease...Zone tolerance doesn't tell you that Massachusetts is afflicted with turpentine beetles and Emerald Ash Borer.

I recognize that many of these things won't apply to the whole region...

The use of this is it might tell us when NOT to pick up that tree on sale, and help us recognize when a landscaper or garden center employee doesn't know what he is talking about.

Edlincoln, check the Chestnut oak acorn post, i posted my email for you. Poaky1.