I need a big fast growing tree that will grow in compacted clay soil, tolerates drought and doesn't need much care. Something that will be 100 feet tall or more someday hopefully, with a big straight trunk.I don't really like evergreens but I'm thinking maybe a Dawn Redwood. I'd love to have a big Beech tree, but that's probably not doable. Zone 6b-7, lots of sun. I tried a Shumard Oak but it's not looking good - a 65 mph winstorm killed the top 2/3 of it about a month after it was planted and the remainder hasn't bounced back as well as I'd like.
Dawn redwood might be just the thing. These aren't evergreen, you know. They lose their foliage in autumn just like the bald cypress and the larch and other deciduous conifers.
