With an impressive tree canopy including over 80 species, our Parks and Trees staff work hard to ensure that our beautiful urban forest continues to grow and thrive. This map highlights some of the prominent species in different areas of the city.
Here are some fun facts about these trees:
- Ash: Green and white ash trees make up approximately 12% of Fredericton’s urban canopy. White ash is native to the province and commonly grows in natural stands along the river and around the city. They are an important cultural species for the Wolastoqiyik people of the St John river valley, who traditionally use Black ash wood for basket weaving. This species is now under the threat of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer beetle, found in the city in 2021. City staff have reacted proactively to the beetle, protecting around 1200 trees to date with a systemic insecticide meant to control the beetle’s population and slow its spread.
- Eastern Hemlock: As a long-lived and shade-tolerant coniferous species, the Eastern Hemlock is a prominent species found in Fredericton’s Odell Park. Some of these trees are estimated to be over 500 years old. Many species of wildlife benefit from the presence of increasingly uncommon old-growth stands such as the one found in Odell park. These trees demonstrate a phenomenon known as allelopathy, which is a unique ability that suppresses the growth of competing trees.
- Maple: A variety of species in the maple genus are prominent throughout the city and make up almost half of its total canopy. Native Red and Sugar Maples can be found planted in the City right of ways, as-well as naturally grown maples throughout the city. Both species can be tapped for maple syrup production!
- Silver Maple: The Silver Maple is one of the few tree species that can tolerate living in flood saturated soils. Its sprawling root system helps mitigate bank erosion along floodplains. This native species can be found along watercourses both in and outside of the city.
- Linden: This relatively fast-growing street tree has a significant presence in the City’s canopy, making up about 9% of our urban forest. They are a great source of nectar and pollen for pollinator species, growing pale yellow to white flowers in the early summer. They are part of the same genus as the native Basswood tree.
- Butternut: One of only two species of walnut tree native to Canada, the butternut was listed as a species at risk in 2003 due to a fungal pathogen which causes a canker on trees of virtually any size. Known as an important wildlife species, the butternut produces a large crop of nuts every 2 to 3 years which provide food for wildlife, and can be eaten by humans as well.
- Willow: Commonly found alongside our rivers, willows are excellent at bank stabilization and erosion control. They can reproduce easily, even growing new roots from its branches when they reach the ground. The weeping willow is an easily recognizable species, with yellow-colored buds on branches drooping from high in the canopy all the way to the ground. Willow is a well-known medicinal species, and contains the same compounds used in aspirin to reduce inflammation.
- Elm: The City of Fredericton was once known as “The City of Stately Elms” because of this iconic species, planted generously throughout the city up to 200 years ago. Their vase-shaped canopies tower over powerlines and buildings alike, and there are many planted in the downtown and Devon areas. Unfortunately, a fungal pathogen known as Dutch Elm Disease, carried by a native bark beetle that feeds on the elm tree, has been wreaking havoc on this species since it arrived in the city in the 1980’s. Through dedicated management efforts the city has managed to preserve some of these massive elm trees. This species still makes up approximately 5% of the city’s tree canopy.
- Eastern White Pine: Once sought after in the St John River Valley for building ship masts, the Eastern White Pine is a prominent figure along riverbanks in Marysville. The species towers above the rest of the tree canopy, and its silhouette can be seen along highways and waterways throughout the province. These are some of the largest trees in the province, some measuring up well over 35 meters tall.
- Spruce: Spruce trees are a naturally long-lived species that can be found on street sides and in local forested parks. Perfect for roadside planting, spruce trees can act as a windbreak and stay green all year round.
- Fir: As New Brunswick’s official provincial tree, Balsam Fir can be found growing in local forested areas such as Odell and Killarney Lake Parks. This species can thrive in unfavorable conditions, and provides shelter, nesting, and foraging opportunities for a variety of wildlife.
- Oak – Fredericton is home to a variety of oak trees, which collectively make up approximately 10% of our urban canopy, including the native red and bur oaks. Oak trees are important wildlife species as they provide significant food source for small animals. Oaks are long-lived species and can grow to be very large. They are very strong-wooded trees, and are considered a good choice for planting in parks and open spaces.
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