Lost a Bradford Pear in the tornado, and would like to replace with a tree thats more hardy.
Any favorites in the group here? Looking for something easy to take care of and tornado/ice/oklahoma weather resistant.

Most of the time my silver leaf maple has held up well. Something went through Mustang and twisted the top limbs off, about 8 of them some kind of big, but it always seems to survive. Its been growing about 28 years so it has seen some hard times.

Chinese pistache. It grows fairly quickly, is sturdier than a Bradford pear and turns a beautiful shade of orange in the fall.

If you want a native tree..... For a small flowering tree you can't beat the redbud. If you want a larger shade tree. I would go with a Shumard Oak or a Chinquapin Oak. They are native to Oklahoma and Canadian County, and are very tough durable trees.

Or you could try some of those wonderfully fire resistant cedar trees that abound in Oklahoma. LOL

okPLANTtrees - Resources - Stillwater Selection Guide (http://www.okplanttrees.org/resources/educational/ss/)

okPLANTtrees (http://okplanttrees.okstate.edu/index.html)

If you want a native tree..... For a small flowering tree you can't beat the redbud. If you want a larger shade tree. I would go with a Shumard Oak or a Chinquapin Oak. They are native to Oklahoma and Canadian County, and are very tough durable trees.

We have a Shumard Oak in the front and it is a great tree. Provides a good deal of shade to the house and has stood up to all the storms we've had where other trees of similar size or larger have just snapped.

I would suggest a Texas/Oklahoma variety of a "live oak". They are native to SW Oklahoma and do grow well in the OKC area. The variety I am referring to is (Quercus Fusiformis). They do not lose their leaves during the winter. In spring, they push out the old leaves and sprout new ones. They are considered an "evergreen" and will grow in Zone 6 and 7.

Chinese pistache. It grows fairly quickly, is sturdier than a Bradford pear and turns a beautiful shade of orange in the fall.

I planted a Chinese pistache about 12 years ago…. It’s extremely hearty. It’s held up very well in the high winds hail ice storms and heat & drought. I bought it at Home Depot. It’s about 20’ high now. I only wish I would have bought male. The female that I have puts off interesting little berries that are a bit messy. In the fall mine can be orange one year yellow the next and red another year and sometimes a combination of all 3.
But there are plenty of good tree selections. A very good place to find great information is from your county extension agent.