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Fire Activity and Dry Conditions Trigger Fire Restrictions in Portions of Western, Central, and Northern AZ (May 2, 2022)
Funding to Help Arizonans Under HB 2001 - August 12, 2021
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  • Tree Selection and Care

Tree Selection and Care

Proper tree selection, placement and care will serve your tree well through the years, allowing your tree to grow to its fullest potential. Selecting the right tree and location can help reduce maintenance issues down the road and will promote a healthy and vigorous tree. 

  • Ask an Arborist
  • Top 5 Tree Mistakes
  • Tree Care
  • Right Tree in the Right Place
  • Arizona Plant Climate Zones
  • Plant Native Trees

Ask an Arborist

The Department of Forestry and Fire has many tree experts on staff who are happy to answer any of your questions. See our Frequently Asked Questions or contact us .

Top 5 Tree Mistakes

Not Selecting the Best Tree from the Nursery

  • Buying High Quality Trees
  • Cómo Comprar Árboles de alta Calidad
Tree Selection

Planting the Wrong Tree in the Wrong Place

  • The Right Tree in the Right Place 
  • Right Tree, Right Place - Arizona 
  • Right Tree, Right Place - Arizona (Spanish)
  • Tree Selection and Placement 
  • Selección y Ubicación de Árboles 
Wrong tree in the wrong place

Planting the Tree too Deep

  • New Tree Planting
  • Plantación de Árboles Nuevos
  • How to Plant Your Trees 
  • Arizona Tree Planting Guide 
  • Guía de Planeación de Árboles en Arizona 
Planting the Tree too Deep

Watering – Not Enough or Too Much

  • Watering Trees and Shrubs 
  • Irrigating Citrus Trees 
  • Cómo Regar los Cítricos
  • Watering Schedules for Landscapes in the Sonoran Desert 
  • Landscape Watering by the Numbers – A Guide for the Arizona Desert 
Watering – not enough, too much

Incorrect Pruning

  • Keys to Good Tree Pruning 
  • Pruning Young Trees
  • Poda de Árboles Jóvenes
  • Pruning Mature Trees 
  • Cuidado de los Árboles Maduros
  • Pruning Deciduous Shade Trees 
  • Pruning Citrus Trees 
Incorrect Pruning

Tree Care

There are a variety of resources available regarding specific tree care options in Arizona. 

  • Watering Trees and Shrubs: Simple techniques for efficient landscape watering
  • 9 Tree Care Tips and Techniques: Step-by-step guidelines for selecting, planting and caring for trees
  • Mesquite and Palo Verde Varieties for Urban Areas: Selection, care, and health assessments for mesquite and palo verde varieties in Arizona
  • Low Desert Citrus Varieties: Selection, care and estimated harvest dates for citrus varieties in Arizona
  • Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert: Searchable guide to plant selection for Arizona by Arizona's Municipal Water Users Association
  • Diseases of Urban Plants in Arizona: Tree health diagnosis 
  • General Tree Care Resources - Spanish Version 

Right Tree in the Right Place

The International Society of Arboriculture provides questions to consider when determining what tree selection for a given area. Some questions to consider might be:

Native Tree

  • Why is the tree being planted? Will it provide shade, fruit, seasonal shading, or color?
  • How big is the planting area and where is it located? What size tree can the planting area accommodate?
  • Are there utility lines above or below the selected planting area?
  • What is the soil like in the planting area? Is the soil deep, fertile and well-draining? Or is the soil very rocky, compacted, shallow, or draining poorly?

These questions, among others, will help determine the “right tree for the right place”.

Arizona Plant Climate Zones

Climate zones in Arizona vary from the low or subtropical desert areas to the coldest mountain and intermountain areas of the 48 contiguous United States. These differences in climate dictate what trees are most suitable in each zone. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension provides a great breakdown of the different Arizona Plant Climate Zones. 

Plant Native Trees

It is always recommended to consider planting native trees over non-native. Native trees are better able to cope with the local environmental conditions of the area and typically require less attention than non-natives. They also serve as wildlife habitat for local animals, and are more resistant to harmful pests. 

 

Trees Native to Arizona (below 4,500 feet)

  • velvet mesquite ( Prosopis velutina )
  • screwbean mesquite ( Prosopis pubescens )
  • desert ironwood ( Olneya tesota )
  • cat claw acacia ( Acacia greggii )
  • white thorn acacia ( Acacia constricta )
  • netleaf hackberry ( Celtis laevigata var. reticulata )
  • foothills palo verde ( Parkinsonia microphylla )
  • blue palo verde ( Parkinsonia florida )
  • desert willow ( Chilopsis linearis )

 

Trees Native to Arizona (between 4,500 feet and 6,000 feet)

  • boxelder maple ( Acer negundo )
  • water birch ( Betula occidentalis )
  • netleaf hackberry ( Celtis laevigata var. reticulate )  
  • western redbud ( Cercis orbiculata )  
  • Arizona cypress ( Cupressus  arizonica )  
  • singleleaf ash ( Fraxinus anomala )  
  • Arizona ash ( Fraxinus velutina )  
  • Arizona walnut ( Juglans major )  
  • alligator juniper ( Juniperus deppeana )
  • one-seed juniper ( Juniperus monosperma )
  • pinyon pine ( Pinus edulis )
  • Arizona sycamore ( Platanus wrightii )
  • Fremont cottonwood ( Populus fremontii )
  • chokecherry ( Prunus virginiana )
  • Emory oak ( Quercus emoryi )
  • Gambel oak ( Quercus gambelii )
  • shrub live oak ( Quercus turbinella )
  • Goodding’s willow ( Salix gooddingii )

 

Trees Native to Arizona (above 6,000 feet)

  • boxelder ( Acer negundo )
  • alligator juniper ( Juniperus deppeana )
  • Rocky Mountain juniper ( Juniperus scopulorum )
  • blue spruce ( Picea pungens )
  • pinyon pine ( Pinus edulis )
  • ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa )
  • narrowleaf cottonwood ( Populus angustifolia )
  • chokecherry ( Prunus virginiana )
  • Gambel oak ( Quercus gambelii )
  • black locust ( Robinia pseudoacacia )
  • white fir ( Abies concolor )  
  • flowering crabapple ( Malus sp. )
  • quaking aspen ( Populus tremuloides )  
  • New Mexico locust (Robinia neomexicana)

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Department of Forestry and Fire Management
1110 West Washington St #500
Phoenix, AZ 85007
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