Climate-Resilient Trees: Selecting Trees for Chicago’s Changing Landscapes

Greater Chicago is pretty tough. It survives harsh winters, sweltering summers, and everything in between.

But as the impacts of climate change advance, the city’s landscapes are facing new and unpredictable challenges. Recent years have brought shifts that even make it tough for the hardiest native tree species.

We’re talking about unpredictable weather patterns, hotter summers, colder winters, and intense storms. These things can challenge our trees, making them more susceptible to other issues as a result of stress.

What’s more, invasive pests and diseases – emboldened by milder winters and longer growing seasons – are further complicating the picture.

What do Greater Chicago’s landscapes need? Climate-resilient trees. You want to choose and plant trees that can withstand these impacts.

But you’re probably wondering how you know which trees withstand heat or which drought-tolerant trees are best.

Let’s look at trees that are well-suited to this area's current and future climate conditions, so you can pick the right trees for your landscape that will offer you great benefits for years to come.

Best Climate-Resilient Trees for Greater Chicago Landscapes

Any property without trees can feel pretty empty.

Trees add height, greenery, color, and shade. They break up a barren space and boost your landscape with benefits like boosting oxygen, reducing stormwater, slowing wind, and adding great aesthetics.

Choosing the right trees in today’s changing climate can make all the difference. You want climate-resilient trees that will hold up in climate extremes.

Here are our recommendations for some trees that meet the most stressful conditions.

Toughest All-Around Trees

Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa)

This drought-tolerant tree is highly adaptable, withstanding wind and temperature extremes. It’s also resistant to many pests and diseases.

The bur oak can reach heights of 70 to 100 feet with a 70- to 90-foot spread. It has dark green leaves that turn golden yellow or brown in fall.

Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)

This tree is tolerant of urban conditions, drought, and heat. It also has a strong resistance to pests and diseases. It can grow 30 to 70 feet tall with a 30- to 50-foot spread. Its small leaves are bright green in spring and turn golden yellow in autumn. The honey locust’s open canopy allows filtered sunlight to pass through giving some light to plants beneath it.

Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana)

This tough evergreen tree tolerates drought, heat, wind, and poor soils. The Eastern redcedar’s foliage is vibrant bluish-green.

You can expect this tree to grow 30 to 65 feet high with an 8- to 25-foot spread. Its dense, pyramidal shape that becomes more columnar as it grows makes an attractive addition to any landscape year-round. It is highly resistant to pests and diseases.

Drought-Tolerant Trees

Kentucky Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus)

This large, deciduous tree can reach 60 to 80 feet high with a 40- to 55-foot spread. Its broad, open canopy provides ample shade. Its large leaves are the largest of any Chicago native plant. This tree adds a great yellow color in fall and is deep rooted, which adds to its drought tolerance.

Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera)

This rugged, native tree can reach 30 to 50 feet high with a similar spread, offering a dense, round crown of glossy green leaves. It offers fruit that is bright green. Its bark is gray-brown but has an orange hue underneath. Extremely drought-resistant once established, its bright yellow color adds fall interest. Multiple trees can make great living fences or privacy screens.

Heat-Tolerant Trees

American Elm (Ulmus Americana)

One of the trees that withstand heat is American elm. This iconic tree has a graceful shape with 4- to 6-inch long, dark green leaves that are lighter underneath. Heat-tolerant and adaptable to various soil conditions, this tree brings bright yellow fall color and a vase-like shape that makes it attractive in any Greater Chicago landscape. It can grow 60 to 80 feet tall with a 50- to 70-foot spread. Though vulnerable to Dutch elm disease, nurseries are breeding disease-resistant varieties.

Lacebark Elm (Ulmus parvifolia)

Highly tolerant of heat and urban conditions, the lacebark elm can grow to 40 to 50 feet high with a similar spread. Its small leaves are glossy and dark green, and they turn yellow or reddish-purple in fall. Many people love its broad, round canopy and graceful form. It’s resistant to pollution, drought, and Dutch elm disease.

Trees Tolerant of Wide Temperature Ranges

Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor)

Adaptable to both cold and heat, this climate-resilient tree is ideal for fluctuating climates. It can grow 50 to 70 feet high with a 40- to 60-foot spread. Its broad, round crown is covered in 4- to 7-inch dark green leaves with pale silver-green undersides that turn yellow, bronze, or reddish-brown in autumn.

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)

This tree handles a wide range of temperatures and urban conditions. It can grow up to 50 to 80 feet tall with a 30- to 40-foot spread. Its fan-shaped leaves are distinctive and turn a brilliant yellow in fall.

Wind-Tolerant Trees

Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra)

This climate-resilient tree has a strong branching structure, making it resistant to wind damage.

It can grow 60 to 75 feet high with a 45- to 60-foot spread. Its 4- to 8-inch leaves are dark green and change to red to orangish-red in fall. A round, broad crown highlights this tree’s robust structure.

Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)

Flexible and durable in windy conditions, the hackberry tree can make a great windbreak. The tree reaches heights of 40 to 60 feet with a 40- to 60-foot spread. Its berries are a favorite of birds.

Pest-Resistant Trees

Black Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica)

Generally resistant to pests, the black tupelo (also known as Black Gum) can grow 30 to 50 feet in height with a 20- to 40-foot spread. The dark green leaves turn a mix of red, orange, and yellow in fall. Its small, dark blue berries in late summer and fall are attractive to birds.

Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)

Known as a pest-resistant tree, bald cypress can grow to 50 to 70 feet tall with a 25- to 35-foot spread.

Its feather-like leaves go from green in spring and summer to rusty orange in fall. Its open, pyramidal crown becomes more rounded as it grows.

Disease-Resistant Trees

Japanese Zelkova (Zelkova serrata)

Resistant to Dutch elm disease and other common ailments, the Japanese zelkova can grow 50 to 80 feet tall with a 50- to 75-foot spread. Its broad, vase-shaped canopy has dark green leaves during summer and fall color that ranges from yellow to orange to deep red.

Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.)

Generally resistant to many diseases, this climate-resilient tree offers ornamental value, too. Typically growing to a height of 15 to 25 feet with a 15- to 20-foot spread, the serviceberry has green leaves in summer that turn yellow, orange, or red in fall. Its spring flowers are white or pale pink, and its berries are deep purple and attract birds.

Fast-Growing Trees

Hybrid Poplar (Populus deltoides x Populus nigra)

This fast-growing drought-tolerant plant can reach a height of 40 to 60 feet with a 30- to 50-foot spread. Its broad, open crown features triangular or heart-shaped leaves that are bright green in summer, turning pale yellow in autumn. This tree is best for quick cover or temporary solutions.

Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum)

Known for its large size, distinctive leaves, and adaptability, the silver maple can reach a height of 50 to 80 feet with a 35- to 50-foot spread.

A great shade tree that grows fast, this tree has light green leaves with silver undersides. It delivers a pale yellow fall color on smooth, gray bark.

The Right Climate-Resilient Trees Can Boost Your Property Aesthetics and Curb Appeal

Some common concerns drive people to choose Chicago-native plants.

These include increasing pests and diseases from invasive species. It also is due to increasing temperatures and inconsistent rainfall patterns, as well as compacted, nutrient-poor soil conditions.

All of these things make choosing the right trees more challenging.

Having trouble finding trees that work for you? Let KD Landscape help. Our landscaping experts have years of experience dealing with Greater Chicago growing conditions and can help you pick the right trees to suit your needs.

Want to learn more about how KD Landscape can help you choose the best trees for your Greater Chicago property? Get started today with a free quote. We’ll review your options together so you can feel confident and make a great choice.

Image Sources | Bur Oak, Eastern Redcedar, Red Oak, Bald Cypress, Silver Maple