Silver maples are trees from heck.

What does your arborist recommend for replacement trees? I put a lot of faith in the opinions of arborists, as opposed to those from "tree guys".

He suggested a dogwood, but I've also been told that they tend to not like hot afternoon sun so I'm concerned that one might not do well in this spot.

Crype myrtle, wax myrtle, loropetalum

Japanese maple, either green or red. They are beautiful, grow slowly, and provide nice dappled shade. Not particularly messy either.

big city name.. would help us understand where you are.. rather than just how cold it gets in winter .. which is basically all zone is ...

and do understand.. it will be hard to plant.. exactly where the old tree is.. even if you have the stump ground... plan otherwise ...

finally ... decent tree planting primer at link .... proper planting time is imperative.. and for most of us.. august is not the time ...

ken

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

I lived in Atlanta for many years. There are about a billion dogwoods that live in the sun and don't seem to mind it.

I have never had a problem with dogwoods in the sun .

Thank you all for your comments. A little more details about my situation: the current silver maple will be removed and the stump ground out in the fall hopefully right before leaf drop, and the new tree will be sited close to the old spot if not exactly there either this fall or early spring. I'm in Portland OR, and am looking for preferably a single-trunk tree that will get to a height of 20-30 ft to provide shade and some privacy to both levels of a 2 story house at a decent growth rate without becoming a hazard or nuisance. I saw a couple of Japanese maple varieties (for example osakazuki) that would seem to fit that bill aside from a slow growth rate. I'll keep dogwoods in the running based on your comments; there are a few varieties that look like they'd be beautiful. Any thoughts on why a dogwood or Japanese maple should win out over the Japanese snowbell or sour wood? It's hard to find consistent info on people's experiences or problems with specific tree varieties online. Much appreciated!

Dr Merrill Magnolia, Styrax obassia, Vitex

I am going to add, do not plant in the debris from the ground up stump. It will be mostly wood sawdust. You will need to add good topsoil.

What ever tree you pick out, there are two ways of looking at what size to buy. The largest you can afford will give you an immediate impact, but smaller trees, for me, seem to settle in better, and in the long run, grow faster. (At least here,lol.)

Thanks everyone, definitely some good points to consider! Thanks gardengal for the website suggestion; they've got useful info there. Ken, I'll use your site when I get to go-time for tree planting.

IMHO 10' is too close to the house to plant a large tree. I would plant either a shrub or small tree (myrtle, red buckeye, serviceberry, dogwood, hawthorn, peach, Japanese maple or magnolia, redbud, etc). I like to play it safe on my foundation and my roof, but some people prefer to roll the dice and go for shade.

Agreed, Corkball. The builders made a terrible choice of tree planting that puts me in my current predicament.