[Mike P in Tucson]

No, I don't have any.  But I was wondering................does anyone know if cherry and/or oak trees would grow in Tucson?  I have quite a bit of land and, if they would grow, that could give me a nice supply of smoking wood.

Come to think of it, I know I would be able to grow pecan trees here.

[RudedoggAZ]

Yeah, I was going to mention Pecan... Not sure about the others.

[jmcrig]

Mike, here's the answer to your question;

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_do_cherry_trees_grow

[Mark]

That answered it. I was gonna say that they would grow in Tucson. Whether they would bear fruit is another question. Cherry trees "X" days at freezing temps to go dormant to be able to set fruit in the spring, just like many apples. I had two cherry trees in Prescott but they had the opposite problem. Late frosts would burn the flower buds in the spring.

[Mike P in Tucson]

Thanks for that link, jmcrig. (too many Marks around here, and not enough Mike's)

Mark, I could care less about getting any cherries off the tree, I just want the wood.  Too hard trying to find cherry wood here.  Guees I need to plant a wood orchard.  I figure if I end up with too much wood, it wouldn't be too difficult finding someone to take some of it off my hands.

[lecheminant]

Wanted to add my $0.02.  It seems like a lot of work and money for smoking wood.  My in laws in northern arizona had a cherry tree that died last year.  The tree was 10 years old.  I cut that thing down and after you get rid of all the twigs and branches smaller than my pinky, there wasn't that much wood left.  I ended up coming home with one large storage container of wood, maybe worth $150 retail, and that was from an entire 10 yr old tree.  Oaks grow even slower.  My neighbor has one that is 3 1/2 years old and the trunk is only about 2" in diameter.  Pecan on the other hand grows a little faster.  I used to have a full grown pecan tree at my old house and would get quite a bit of wood just from a yearly pruning.  Branches would die off or break in the wind.  Plus you can use or sell the pecans which would help offset the cost of the trees and the water.

[Mike P in Tucson]

Thanks for that info, Gabe.  guess I will skip trying that, unless my local nursery says they have a really fast-growing cherry.