[spughy]

I live on the west coast - so, mild climate with relatively dry summers - and need suggestions of nice, very fast-growing, moderate-shade trees that don't drip sap. They would be planted beside a parking lot. I live in a strata townhouse complex and due to a communication error, the mature birches along one side of the property were cut down today. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/irked.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="irked">. They had been dripping sap onto cars and so council wanted them trimmed; somehow the strata managers sent a "cut down" order to the tree service (there was one large racoon-infested cedar that WAS supposed to be cut down...) Anyway, poor trees, but it's not like they can be put back together, so we need to replace them with something that grows fast and won't drip on the cars below.<br><br>
I was thinking rowans - they do have berries which can be messy, but IME they're eaten by birds pretty quickly. Alders grow super-fast but they're drippy too I think. Any other ideas?

 

[lunarlady]

Maples are lovely and many do not drip sap unless they are cut. We have an autumn blaze maple and it grows about 12-18" a year, which is great progress for a tree! And they make quite a bit of shade with a nice spread.