I've been reading Susan Murray's Our Sylan Heritage:a Guide to the Magnificent trees of the South Fraser and made a list of trees identified in the Township of Langley here in BC. I'd like to add trees to this list and am asking for help. Apparently the trees chosen for inclusion in this book are: mature large native and exotic species in good condition on public property easily seen on private property, from public property (no trespassing!) If people have tree suggestions to add to this list I would very much appreciate learning about the trees in the Township. Could you send a private message rather than posting someone's address in the forum? Thanks so much.
When I looked at it I got the impression some species were represented by small or smallish examples only, with probably a significant number of others overlooked or left out. I remember noticing the commanding and conspicuous* Cedar-of-Lebanon on the Eddy property near the se entrance to the UBC Endowment Lands was not mentioned but a comparatively dinky one elsewhere was. I wouldn't worry about listing addresses with trees here, print publications such as the above book have done it for years. One place in the area that should be visited is the property near Ladner that had - as one often sees on old farmlands - a cluster of landmark trees surrounded by open space and therefore quite noticeable from the freeway, looking west. When I went there it was being operated as a church facility, I believe, maybe with fairly interesting architecture present on the site as well (I was focused on the big trees). The most memorable and conspicuous specimen was an Acer pseudoplatanus f. variegatum, this tree was the flag that eventually drew me from the highway. It was listed by Jacobson, North American Landscape Trees (1996, Ten Speed, Berkeley) as measuring 70' x 10'2" x 75' in 1994. I suppose those were probably my measurements, in which case the height was liable to have been estimated by comparing with the ground measurements (by then I was pretty good at guessing tree heights). *Saw that lower part of crown had unfortunately been cut away last time I was up there
FWIW, the book is not in competition with Mr. Straleys book, trees of Vancouver, the book covers the area on the other side of the Fraser River. The complete title is "Our Sylvan Heritage, A Guide to the Magnificent Trees of the South Fraser"
I got an autographed copy from her sister, I was working at Murrey nurseries for one spring back when the book came out. I was volunteering at a trade show and spent some time visiting with Susan a few months prior. :) The nursery is gone now, it was in the southlands area of vancouver, expensive real estate for sure, Thomas Hobbs' garden center rules out there now I hear.
