Zone 8 Planting Calendar

As Nebraska grows warmer, consider planting trees that will adapt best

Trees planted now could provide shade and joy for many generations — if the species added to your front yard or a downtown area can adapt to a warming world.

Dan Lambe, CEO of the Arbor Day Foundation, said it could be time to steer away from the traditional palette of maples and ashes to more resilient trees that can handle changing weather and temperatures as well as the risks from increased numbers of insects.

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“What is doing great now might not be doing great in years to come,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive officer of the Arbor Day Foundation.

To help people make the right tree choices, the Arbor Day Foundation and Davey Tree compiled data from the U.S. Forest Service to create an interactive map that forecasts hardiness zone changes 90 years into the future. It can be found at hardinesszones.daveyinstitute.com.

Parts of Nebraska, including Omaha and Lincoln, moved from 5B to 6A on the most recent plant hardiness zone map released by the USDA. According to the Arbor Day Foundation’s studies, that warming trend could push parts of the state into zone 7A in 50 years.

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In that zone, the average minimum temperature would be considered 0 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit compared to the 10 below to 5 below on the latest plant hardiness zone map. Since those are average lows, they don’t represent the coldest temperatures that plants would experience.

That degree of difference might not sound like much but it will make a difference in what trees will thrive in this area.

“It’s not that we’re planting all the wrong trees right now. It’s a reminder that the maps are changing and the types of species we can plant are going to be changing,” Lambe said.

Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City was already seeing issues with some stone fruit trees even before last summer, the earth’s warmest on record. It’s also a place where you can see a variety of species and their growth styles.

Nebraska’s Arbor Day Farm is already seeing the impact of warming temperatures on some of its trees, and that’s expected to continue. Nebraskans should plant trees that can handle changing weather and temperatures as well as increased risks from insects.

ARBOR DAY FARM

Cherry, peach and plums are becoming difficult to grow and keep sustained in Nebraska, Lambe said.

“What we are finding is they are temperature sensitive,” Lambe said. “Extreme heat and cold can be damaging to them.”

Daniel Herms, vice president of research and development at Davey Tree, which helped with the map, said staff members are also seeing changes.

Trees that didn’t do well this far north are now flourishing, insects are moving north into areas they didn’t survive in before, fall is coming later, spring is arriving earlier and plants are blooming earlier.

“You look back over 20-30 years, there is a definite trend toward earlier,” he said. “Look back a century and it’s dramatic. It’s about a day or two days for every 10 years.”

Because of the uncertainty associated with climate change, both the extremes of weather and the adaptability of species, the Arbor Day Foundation isn’t telling people what not to plant. Instead, they are recommending diversification.

That means potentially steering away from the traditional palette of maples and ashes that dominates the Nebraska landscape today into a more resilient one that can handle changing weather and temperatures as well as the growing risks from increasing insects.

With diversification, a city is less likely to have large portions its tree canopy destroyed because of an insect infestation. The emerald ash borer, for example, is responsible for the death of millions of trees in the United States.

The Arbor Day Foundation’s findings don’t mean an entirely new canopy for the area. It’s all about planting the right tree in the right place.

Many of the trees it expects to thrive in Nebraska for generations to come are familiar ones. They include the bald cypress, catalpa, hackberry, burr oak, honey locust, pecan, tulip tree, black walnut, river birch and yellow wood.

If you have a tree in mind and want to know more about its ability to withstand the challenges ahead, check with the Arbor Day Foundation at arborday.org, Lambe said.

“We feel a great responsibility to make sure people have the best information they can have,” he said.

Don’t let concerns about what to plant keep you from adding a tree, he said. It can help combat extreme heat, capture storm water runoff, remove pollutants from the soil and increase biodiversity.

“There has never been a more important time to plant trees than now,” Lambe said.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of December 2023

Creighton’s Trey Alexander (23) slams into Villanova’s Eric Dixon (43) in the Villanova vs. Creighton men’s basketball game at the CHI Health Center in Omaha on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.

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People ice skate near the holiday lights and Christmas tree at RiverFront Park in Omaha. Photographed with a drone on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023.

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Volunteers unload and carry at Omaha National Cemetery on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. They are to be placed on the graves of veterans for a Wreaths Across America event on Saturday.

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Celeste Butler and Sherman Wells stand for a photo outside the Spencer Homes public housing apartments at 26th Avenue and Spencer Street in Omaha on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023.

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Nebraska’s C.J. Wilcher (0) celebrates a play while on the bench in the Michigan State vs. Nebraska men’s basketball game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. Nebraska won the game 77-70.

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Connie Greger talks about the movie rental business next to her the Rivoli Theater located at the 533 Main St, on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. Her family has owned the theater since 1979.

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Fans line up outside for the Nebraska and Arkansas match during the NCAA volleyball tournament Elite Eight at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.

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Nebraska’s Lexi Rodriguez (8), facing hugs Ally Batenhorst (14) after defeating Arkansas during an NCAA volleyball tournament Elite Eight match at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.

CHRIS MACHIAN THE WORLD-HERALD

Nebraska Head Coach John Cook cheers a point late in the fourth set against Arkansas during an NCAA volleyball tournament Elite Eight match at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.

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Cade Ziola poses for a portrait at Omaha Skutt on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023.

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Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth celebrates with her team following the second round NCAA volleyball tournament match against Minnesota at Sokol Arena in Omaha home on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. Creighton won the match in three sets.

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Kiro Tureaud, 3, of Bellevue, visits with Santa Claus during the 13th annual Christmas in the Village along North 24th Street in Omaha home on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.

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Creighton players lift Ellie Bolton (1) to celebrate a Creighton ace serve against Colgate during the first round of the NCAA volleyball tournament at Sokol Arena on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023.

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Creighton’s Sky McCune (3) serves against Colgate during the first round of the NCAA volleyball tournament at Sokol Arena on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023.

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Colgate’s Abby Shadwick (8) dives for the ball in front of Taylor Cigna (16) and Carlie Rzeszotarski (12) against Creighton during the first round of the NCAA volleyball tournament at Sokol Arena on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023.

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From left: Creighton’s Ava Martin (8), Kiara Reinhardt (5), Kendra Wait (15) and Ellie Bichelmeyer (10) celebrate winning the first set over Colgate during the first round of the NCAA volleyball tournament at Sokol Arena on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023.

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