Module 1: Fall Tree Identification

TreeStewardsOctober 16, 2018

Witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)

Tools Needed for Tree IDGetting Ready:• Observation skills• What to observe?• How to observe?

• Use all your senses• Lines of Evidence

• Hand lens (10x)• Binoculars• Favorite field guide

WHY IDENTIFY TREES?• Enquiring minds want to

know …• To communicate to each

other about plants• To learn more

information about a plant

What is a Tree?

• Size: To be considered a tree, the plant must be at least 15 feet high when fully mature.

• Stem: Trees have one single woody stem that is the predominant support of the plant’s structure. This is known as its trunk.

• Diameter: A tree’s stem or trunk has a minimum 3-inch diameter at 4.5 feet above ground. The stem then has a full crown of foliage at the top.

• Perennial: Unlike certain shrubs or other plants, trees are present-year round.

“If you can walk under it, it’s a tree; if you have to walk around it, it’s a shrub.” – David Sibley

Types of TreesDeciduous or Broadleaf

Conifer or Needleleaf

Broad-leaved foliage (Angiosperms – Greek for

“covered seed”)

Angiosperm ovules produced within ovaries.

Fertilized ovule develops into the seed. Ovary

(and sometimes accessory material) develops

into fruit

Most broad-leaved and deciduous but some are

evergreen

Needle-like or scale-like foliage (Gymnosperms

– Greek for “naked seed”)

Uncovered seeds borne on scales of cones

Usually evergreen and cone-bearing, such as

pine, spruce, fir, juniper, redwood, cypress, and

hemlock

Sometimes deciduous and include broad-leaved

Ginkgo

Evergreen Trees/Softwoods

• Evergreen trees are those that keep their foliage year-round. • Evergreens have naturally adapted so that they do not need to shed

their foliage during the colder months to conserve water or prevent water loss. • Generally, evergreens are conifer trees, which have needle-like

foliage, but some evergreen trees may instead have flat, broad leaves. • Evergreen trees typically grow in colder climates, with hard or poor

soil

Deciduous Trees/Hardwoods/Broadleaf

• Deciduous trees shed their leaves during winter months. • Deciduous trees drop their foliage as a way to avoid having to use

water and nutrients to nourish their leaves in harsh conditions. • When deciduous trees drop their leaves, their foliage rots and nourishes the

soil to provide food for other plants and animal life.

Characteristics

Below are parts of the tree that should be looked at when identifying a tree are:• Flowers and Fruit• Leaves (shape, size, texture, color, arrangement, margins, lobes/sinuses)• Branches, stems, and buds• Trunk• Roots

Each part of the tree serves multiple, critical functions, and the relationship between a tree’s parts is symbiotic —one part can’t work without the others.

Characteristics - Again

Below are parts of the tree that should be looked at when identifying a tree are:• 5% - Leaves (shape, size, texture, color, arrangement, margins,

lobes/sinuses)• 15 % - Branches, stems, and buds• 60% - Trunk• 20% - Roots

Leaves

Functions allowing a tree to grow and thrive:• The most well-known function of tree leaves is to facilitate the

process of photosynthesis.• Leaves also offer shade, reduce wind force, keep the air cool and filter

out dust and other particles. • Leaves also act as a buffer for heavy rain drops by minimizing their

impact on the ground below. • Leaves allow for water evaporation and runoff through their “drip

tips.”

Abscission (leaf drop)

• Best leaf colour occurs when days are short and nights are cool• Chlorophyll pigment production decreases displaying other leaf

pigments:• Hidden pigments in the leaf:

• Xanthophylls – yellow• Beta-carotene – orange

• Anthocyanin: red and purple is created though synthesis from degraded chlorophyll

Deciduous Leaves - Fall

Yellow• Tulip Poplar• Hickory• Ginkgo• American beech• Cottonwood• Sassafras• Paw paw• Red bud• Catalpa

Red• Red Maple• Sugar Maple• Scarlet Oak• Winged Sumac• Sweetgum• Dogwood• Sourwood• Black gum

Leaves

• Broadleaf or other (scale or needle)• Simple vs. Compound• Leaf shape – tips, venation, and bases• Leaf margins• Leaf surfaces• Marcescent

ConiferLeaf-type Comparison

Needles

Blunt and flat

Scale & awl-like

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Leaf shapes

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Stems

• They play the role of structural support for the leaves, fruits and flowers that the tree produces. • They are also the vessels that carry water from the soil to the leaves,

and the food from the leaves to the rest of the tree.• Additionally, branches store unused food that the tree will then use

later on, especially during dormant periods when the temperatures drop.

Branching Pattern

M A D Cap Horse

• M = Maple (Aceraceae)• A = Ash (Oleaceae)

• Ash, lilac, Forsythia, privet• D = Dogwood (Cornuaceae)

• (except alternate leaf dogwood)• Cap = Caprifoliaceae

• Viburnum, elderberry, honeysuckle• Horse = Hippocastanaceae

• Horsechestnut , buckeye

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