Trees of PA

Justin Rafael Lotito

Trees of PA• Eastern Hemlock• Red Maple • Shagbark Hickory• Black Birch• White Birch• Grey Birch• Yellow Birch• Black Oak• White Oak• Red Oak• Chestnut Oak• Sassafras• American Chestnut• Black Ash• White Ask• American Beech• White Pine• Red Pine• Pitch Pine• Blue Spruce

Eastern Hemlock

• Evergreen, Conifer• Trunk Diameter: 1.5 meters• Scaly, deeply furrowed bark• Ovoid, 15mm cones• Lives in Northeastern/Mid Appalachian US, and part of

southeastern Canada• Prefers cool, humid climate, 29-50in of rain per year, • Used in general construction, and railroad ties• PA state tree, currently plagued by the “Wooly Adelgid”

fungus

Eastern Hemlock

Red Maple• Deciduous, Angiosperm• Trunk diameter: 46-76cm• Bark is pale grey and smooth when young, darker, and cracked

when older• Seeds are 15-25mm, have two wings at a 50-60 degree angle,

color is light brown-red• Habitat: Abundant across all of US east of the Mississippi, and

southern Ontario.• Specific growing preferences are extremely varied• Used for furniture, and medium quality firewood• It is called red maple because in the fall, it’s leaves turn a vibrant

red

Red Maple

Shagbark Hickory(Carya ovata)

• Deciduous, Angiosperm• Trunk diameter: 92 cm• Mature trees have very shaggy, grey, bark• Produces 2.5-4.0 cm nuts, have a hard, bony shell• Live in most of eastern US, except for gulf costal plains

and lower Mississippi delta.• Nuts are edible, and very flavorful, wood is to laborious to

grow for lumber purposes• President Andrew Jackson was called “ Old Hickory” which

is a reference to how tough and strong hickory wood is

Shagbark Hickory

Black Birch

• Deciduous, Angiosperm• Trunk Diameter: 60 cm• Smooth, dark grey bark with horizontal dashes, vertical cracks

in adults.• Many tiny, winged seeds• Lives primarily in Appalachian areas• Was used in the production of wintergreen before it could be

done synthetically. It can also be used to make birch syrup.• Birch sap can be used to make birch beer, a drink similar in

taste to root beer.

Black Birch

White Birch

• Deciduous, angiosperm• Trunk diameter: 32 cm• Bark: Bright white, flaking into horizontal strips• Tiny winged seeds• Found in Alaska, the northern US, and all of Canada except for

Nunavut• Prefers colder and cooler climates• Used for high yield firewood, used in flooring and furniture • Its bark is a very good fire starter, it burns hot even when wet

White Birch

Grey Birch

• Deciduous, angiosperm• Trunk diameter: 15 inches• Bark is grayish white, black triangular patches where branch

meets trunk• Tiny winged seeds• Found in new England and mid-Atlantic US• Prefers poor, dry upland soil• Used for plywood, furniture, firewood, and drum shells.• Its bark is a very good fire starter, it burns hot even when wet

Grey Birch

Yellow Birch

• Deciduous, angiosperm• Trunk diameter: 80 inches• Yellow/grey bark, peeling off into curls• Tiny winged seedlings• Found in northeastern & great lakes US, and parts of

southeastern Canada.• Used for cabinets, flooring and toothpicks• Its bark is a very good fire starter, it burns hot even

when wet

Yellow Birch

Black Oak

• Deciduous, angiosperm• Trunk diameter: 90 cm• Bark is semi patchy, black/grey• Acorns medium sized and rounded, cap covers about half of

acorn• Occurs in eastern US, and southern Ontario• Prefers moist soil, either cool or warm• Used for furniture, flooring, barrels, railroad ties, fence posts,

and firewood.• Hybridizes with certain other members of the oak family

Black Oak

White Oak

• Decidious, angiosperm• Trunk diameter: 3 feet• Bark is light grey, with shallow fissures, somewhat scaly• Light brown, ¾ of an inch, cap covers ¼ of nut• Occupies Eastern US• Can tolerate a vide variety of moisture, temperature, and soil

acidity. Prefers lower elevations.• Is used in barrels, construction, and ship building• The USS Constitution is made of white oak

White Oak

Red Oak

• Deciduous, angiosperm• Trunk diameter: 2 meters• Bark is dark reddish/grey/brown, moderately furrowed• Acorns are brown, about 2 centimeter, cap covers ¼ of the nut• Occupies the eastern US• Prefers slightly acidic soil• Used for lumber and firewood

Red Oak

Chestnut Oak

• Deciduous, angiosperm• Trunk diameter: I foot• Bark is deeply furrowed, into broad, scaly, ridges, and is dark

brown/red• Acorns are 3 inches long, bright brown, and the cap covers

1/3 of the nut• Located in Eastern US• Prefers drier, rocky soils• It is not particularly useful in a commercial sense.• The chestnut oak has the third larges acorn of all native

American trees

Chestnut Oak

Sassafras

• Deciduous, angiosperm• Trunk diameter: 70-150 cm• Bark is thick, red brown, and deeply furrowed.• Located in the Eastern US• The fruit is 1 cm, dark blue, and egg shaped.• Prefers semi moist soil• Used to make root beer• Possesses analgesic, antiseptic, and laxative properties.

Sassafras

American Chestnut

• Deciduous, angiosperm• Trunk Diameter: 3 meters• Bark is deeply fissured with dark brown scales• Large, round, spiny, dark brown nut.• Found in Appalachian US• Prefers dry, acidic soil• Was used to make ship masts, and seeds were harvested for

consumption• The American Chestnut is currently in danger of extinction

due to a bark crippling fungus called the chestnut blight. It was introduced to the US in the 19th century.

American Chestnut

Black Ash

• Deciduous, angiosperm• Trunk diameter: 60 cm• Dark, grey, scaly, fissured bark• 2.5-4.5 inch samara• Located in Northeast and Great lakes US, and southeastern

Canada• Prefers wet, alkaline soil• Used to make woven baskets, and electric guitars and basses• Black ash is one of the first trees to lose its leaves in the

autumn

Black Ash

White Ash

• Deciduous, angiosperm• Trunk diameter: 3 meters• Bark is dark grey, and deeply furrowed• Seeds are 2.5-5 cm long samaras• Located across the eastern US• Prefers moist upland soil• Used for railroad ties, tool handles, furniture, and baseball

bats• Juice from the leaves can reduce swelling and itchiness from

mosquito bites

White Ash

American Beech

• Deciduous, angiosperm• Trunk diameter:• Bark is smooth and grey• Seeds are brown, 2 cm burs• Located in the eastern US• Prefers well watered, well drained soils• Used in flooring and furniture• Until the invention of power tools, the American beech was

left uncut, leaving groves of beeches much older and extensive than others.

American Beech

White Pine

• Evergreen, coniferous• Trunk diameter: 1.5 meters• Bark is dark grey and deeply furrowed.• Cones are slender and up to 16 cm long• Lives in northeastern and Great lakes US, and southeastern

Canada• Prefers cool, well drained soil• Used for masts and lumber• Tallest tree in the Eastern US

White Pine

Red Pine

• Evergreen, coniferous• Trunk diameter: 1 meter• Bark is thick, and grey brown on bottom, flakey and

red/orange near top• Cones are ovoid, and 4-6 cm long• Grows in New England, parts of northern PA, Great lakes US,

and southeastern Canada• Prefers well drained, sunny, areas.• Used for timber and paper pulp• Low genetic variation suggest a near extinction in its recent

evolutionary history

Red Pine

Pitch Pine

• Evergreen, coniferous• Trunk diameter: 60 cm• Bark is grey/brown, scaly, and deeply fissured• Cones are 7 cm, prickly and scaly• Grows in Appalachian US• Can grow in a wide variety of very poor soils• Used in bonsai• Has highly flammable sap

Pitch Pine

Black Spruce

• Evergreen, coniferous• Trunk diameter: 50 cm• Bark is thin, scaly, greyish/brown• Cones are red/brown and 4 cm long• Grows in almost all of Canada, Northern NY, parts of PA,

Northern Michigan, Northern Wisconsin, and Northern Minnesota

• Can tolerate very poor soil, and extremely cold weather• Used for pulp, and chopsticks• Has only four isolated populations in PA

Black Spruce