Best Fast Growing Trees for Your Yard (2026)

Best Fast Growing Trees

The best fast-growing trees ranked by growth rate, structural strength, and long-term value. Not all fast trees are good trees. We separate the winners from the weak wood.

Our Top Pick

Red oak is our top pick for a fast-growing shade tree because it combines 2 feet per year growth with a 200+ year lifespan and excellent structural strength. For faster shade with good (not great) structure, Autumn Blaze maple grows 3 feet per year.

Red Oak (Quercus rubra) Our pick

Growth: 2 ft/year | Height: 60 to 75 ft | Zones: 3 to 8

The best all-around fast shade tree. Grows 2 feet per year with strong wood that resists storm damage. Lives 200+ years. Reliable russet-red fall color. Adapts to most soils except very alkaline clay. The tree you plant for your grandchildren. Our #1 recommendation for a fast shade tree with lasting value.

Shade tree Strong wood Long-lived Fall color

$80 to $200 (nursery)

Autumn Blaze Maple (Acer x freemanii)

Growth: 3 ft/year | Height: 40 to 55 ft | Zones: 3 to 8

The fastest-growing maple with reliable orange-red fall color. Hybrid of red and silver maple that inherited silver's speed without all of silver's weakness. Reaches 40 to 55 feet. More durable than silver maple but not as strong as red oak. Tolerates a wider soil range than sugar maple.

Shade tree Fastest maple Fall color Adaptable

$100 to $250 (nursery)

Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)

Growth: 2 to 3 ft/year | Height: 60 to 90 ft | Zones: 4 to 9

One of the tallest and fastest native trees. Grows 2 to 3 feet per year and can reach 90 feet. Tulip-shaped flowers in May. Straight trunk and pyramidal form make it a striking specimen. Needs space: not for small yards. Prefers moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil.

Native Very tall Specimen Spring flowers

$60 to $150 (nursery)

Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)

Growth: 2 ft/year | Height: 50 to 70 ft | Zones: 4 to 10

A deciduous conifer that grows 2 feet per year and lives 600+ years. Feathery foliage turns copper-orange in fall. Tolerates wet soils, drought, and urban conditions. Nearly pest-free. One of the most underused landscape trees. Looks like an evergreen in summer but drops its needles in fall.

Deciduous conifer Wet or dry Pest-free 600+ year lifespan

$70 to $180 (nursery)

Green Giant Arborvitae (Thuja x 'Green Giant')

Growth: 3 to 5 ft/year | Height: 40 to 60 ft | Zones: 5 to 8

The fastest evergreen for privacy screening. Grows 3 to 5 feet per year until reaching 40 to 60 feet. Dense pyramidal form fills in quickly with no pruning needed. Deer resistant. Disease resistant. Plant 5 to 6 feet apart for a solid screen within 3 to 4 years. The go-to privacy tree.

Privacy screen Evergreen Fastest screen Deer resistant

$30 to $80 (nursery)

The Fast Growth Trade-Off

In our 30+ years managing trees, here’s the uncomfortable truth: the fastest-growing trees are usually the worst long-term investments. Silver maple grows 3+ feet per year but drops branches in every ice storm. Bradford pear grows fast and blooms beautifully but splits in half at 20 years. Lombardy poplar shoots up like a rocket and dies of canker at 15 years.

The trees on this list are the exceptions: fast growers that also have good structure, reasonable lifespans, and genuine value. We excluded any tree we wouldn’t plant for a client.

How We Tested

Ranked by growth rate (minimum 2 feet per year), structural wood strength, mature lifespan, disease resistance, and overall landscape value. Based on 30+ years of planting, maintaining, and removing trees in the Central Plains. We excluded any tree we wouldn't plant for a client, regardless of growth speed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fastest growing tree?

Green Giant arborvitae grows 3 to 5 feet per year (fastest evergreen). Autumn Blaze maple grows 3 feet per year (fastest deciduous shade). Tulip tree grows 2 to 3 feet per year. Hybrid poplar is technically faster (6+ ft/yr) but has weak wood and a 15-year lifespan. Fast and strong don't always go together.

What fast growing tree is best for shade?

Red oak (2 ft/yr) for the best combination of speed, strength, and longevity. Autumn Blaze maple (3 ft/yr) for faster shade with good structure. Tulip tree (2 to 3 ft/yr) if you have space for an 80+ foot tree. All three are significantly better long-term investments than silver maple.

What fast growing tree is best for privacy?

Green Giant arborvitae (3 to 5 ft/yr) is the best privacy tree. Plant 5 to 6 feet apart for a solid screen in 3 to 4 years. For a tighter space, Emerald Green arborvitae grows 6 to 9 inches per year but stays narrow (3 to 4 feet wide). Leyland cypress is fast in zones 6 to 10 but disease-prone.

Should I avoid fast growing trees?

Avoid fast growers with weak wood: silver maple (branch breakage), Bradford pear (splits), Lombardy poplar (canker death at 15 years), mimosa (invasive), and tree of heaven (invasive, smelly). The trees on our list are the exceptions: fast AND structurally sound. Speed alone isn't a good reason to plant a tree.

What is the fastest growing tree?

What fast growing tree is best for shade?

What fast growing tree is best for privacy?

Should I avoid fast growing trees?

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Best Fast Growing Trees

The Fast Growth Trade-Off

How We Tested

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fastest growing tree?

What fast growing tree is best for shade?

What fast growing tree is best for privacy?

Should I avoid fast growing trees?

Company

Connect