re: Anybody have experience planting these trees

I was listening to an arborist radio show one time (Howard Garrett - The Dirt Doctor). Someone called in and asked what trees grew fastish, were hearty, and were good shade trees in the DFW area. These are the trees he listed off.

Dawn redwood
Montezuma cypress
Canby oak
American elm
Cedar elm
Drummond red maple
Bigtooth maple
Mexican sycamore

The Mexican Sycamore he said was the fastest growing but maybe not the heartiest tree of the group but still relatively hearty. This fall or early spring is when I plan on planting several trees.

Another tree I've come across is called the Royal Empress. I've done some reading on these. There are strains of this tree that are invasive and not ideal. But there are two strains called the Nordmax and one called the Phoenix One that are not invasive. These trees are supposed to grow incredibly fast. They have a shorter lifespan at roughly 50 years. They are also regenerative. Once they grow to a certain height, you can cut them down at the base, and they'll regrow as a new tree. I'm curious if anyone on the board knows anything about this tree and if I'm reading a load of crap or if it grows as advertised. From what I've read, the roots can be a problem if you're planting where you have underground plumbing or wiring. On my property I have plenty of room to plant this kind of tree and not create a problem.