What is a Native Tree?

O boy, that is a loaded question. This usually depends on who you ask and what definition they have of “Native”.

Are they talking about the a certain timespan? Maybe before or after the influence of any number of human activities? Maybe a geological region? Maybe the mean Regionally Native, or maybe they specific to a state, a county, a park, or maybe just a swamp in your own back yard?

Maybe they are talking about a specific sources (BONAP, UDEL Flora, UDEL Extension, DNREC, National Wildlife Federation, etc). These all can have different opinions, and thus cause a lot of arguing between purists.

Climate change is moving hardiness zones, so what was once a native would no longer be appropriate today (or in the near future). The same goes for our changing landscape. Our once continuous forests are now separated into small wooded parks in suburbia with light pollution dominating thousands of acres in any given region. This incursion of streets, cars, lights, human movements, storm water flow diversions, farming, and soil contamination COMPLETELY destroys many native relationships between insects, wildlife, and trees. These are no longer “native environments”, even if they look like the same place on a map.

In addition, native ranges are not (and never were) stagnant. American Beech Trees have been moving north since the end of the last ice age. Oaks expand their range as blue jays and squirrels distribute their acorns further and further every year. Does anyone really think it makes sense to lock a species into a human’s definition of what it’s “allowable native range” should be based on a map from 1491 (which is based on herbarium samples of what people back then found and subjectively identified)?

Finally, (specifically to those who consider 1491 as the “native” timestamp) Native Americans commonly traded and moved seed around the county prior to European Settlement. In fact, Europeans unknowingly colonized an already well managed landscape. Many Native American nations specialized in agro-forestry principles and aggressively managed many tree species (like Chestnuts, Beech, and Hickories).

Have you ever picked wild PawPaws from Alapocas state park. Are they really WILD and NATIVE? Did you know they are the decedents of a Native American pawpaw orchard sourced from seeds from different regions of the country while selecting for the best fruit? Are their genetics still indigenous?

Did you know there are Ozark Chinquapins in southern Delaware, again brought over by Native Americans way before European settlement? Are they native now? Are they not?

Obviously getting too worked up about where the precise edge of a native range is on a map just seems a bit silly when you dig into the pedantic details. So what you should really focus on is how they fit into the current ecology of our landscape. There are tons of current research efforts lead by local extension offices and universities on just that, being updated every day! So keep and open mind and observe nature around you, while also using science as a tool to make educated decisions.

That said, because we all need to agree on something, our NATIVE STORE only lists trees that are native to somewhere in the Delaware Valley area by BONAP. We understand the daunting task of trying to buy a native tree when you can’t be sure who is telling the truth about what is really native. So rest assured that anything you put into your cart from our NATIVE STORE was officially deemed native by one of those sources to areas within the Delaware Valley. (centered around northern Delaware).

However, the Delaware Valley is a wide area (Delaware, southeastern PA, southern NJ, and eastern MD) so please check the range map and soil notes to make sure it marks your county or adjacent county. Our Delaware Valley region contains the Piedmont and Coastal Plain (choose your area in the store main page). These soils can be fairly different, so make sure to check those maps.