That's ok, Pam, in other parts of the country Douglas Fir trees do not
routinely reach 200 feet in height, nor do Western Red Cedars, Hemlocks, or
any of our other western native conifers. It always fascinated me that in
North Florida many of the native trees could have reached more than 80 feet
in height (about the average tree height there), some easily, such as the
southern longleaf pine, but since that area receives an average of over 100
thunderstorms per year, any tree audacious enough to stick its head above
the canopy quickly gets zapped by lightning - killing it dead in most cases.
From any clearing, the forest canopy in any direction appears absolutely
level. However, walking through some of the forest preserves in North
Carolina, I have seen some impressively tall deciduous trees - probably at
least 140 feet. - things like tulip poplars, native sycamores, some oaks,
etc. However, the dappelled shade underneath them supports a very different
understory than we have in the dense coniferous forests on the west side of
the Cascades.
"Pam" wrote in message
...


peter wrote:

Could someone suggest a small, low maintenance deciduous tree for the
seattle area (lots of moisture and shades in the winter, and some sun in
the
summer)? Small means between 8 to 14 feet.

I asked different people/nursery and each one gave me a different
answers.
Is there a web site that would let me put in the criteria and give me a
list
of trees?

That is definitely a small tree - the bottom limit is usually considered
15
feet, unless it is dwarf. Here is another nursery person (and landscape
designer), giving you another list:

Amelanchier - serviceberry - 12'-20 feet
Crape myrtle - 12-18' (needs full sun)
Flowering crab - some 8-12', most 12-15'
Cotinus coggygria - smokebush - 10-20' (more shrub-like)
Rhus typhina - staghorn sumac - 8-12' (tends to sucker)
various Japanese maples, specially the weeping dissectum cultivars -
anywhere
from 3-15+'
Magnolia stellata - 10-15'
Magnolia seiboldii - 10-15'
Chionanthus retusus - fringe tree - 10-15'
Vine maple - 15-20'
Pyrus salicifolia - willow-leafed pear - 12-18'
Cercis chinensis - Avondale redbud - 10-15' (more shrub-like)
assorted dwarf fruits ('Frost' peach, Italian plums, dwarf and mini-dwarf
apples) - 10-18'

You can also often find shrubs trained into standards (a single trunked,
tree-like form) at better nurseries. Those most common are flowering
currant,
Japanese willow, dwarf lilac, and peegee and Annabelle hydrangeas. You
should
also be aware that the ultimate, mature height of a tree (and its rate of
growth) are heavily influenced by growing conditions. Optimal conditions
willl
result in optimal growth.

And before all you midwesterners and east coasters get your knickers in a
twist
because many of these heights are lower than what you are used to, our
climate
here is VERY mild and we seldom see certain trees achieve the same mature
heights as they do in other, hotter summer parts of the country and are
many are
frequently stunted by consistant summer droughts.

pam - gardengal