Q. My Ash tree is going to be taken down and I would like to replace it with another tree of similar ornamental value. What trees would you recommend to plant in its place?

A. There are many trees that are hardy to our area and will have a similar ornamental value as an Ash tree. In order to decide on a suitable replacement, first be sure to identify the characteristics that are most important to you in a replacement tree. For example, are you looking for a street tree or a tree for the back yard? Are you looking for a tree that has great fall color? Is the height of the tree important to you? Once you decide the key qualities for your particular situation, there are many trees that can be planted to replace an Ash tree. Some of these include: Acer saccharum (Sugar Maple), which has great fall color; Cercidiphyllum japonicum (Katsura Tree), which can be useful in various landscape situations; Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgo), which has a similar height to a White Ash; and Tilia americana (Linden), which is native to Illinois.