Hardy Souls Identify Trees in Winter

January 27, 2014

The Downeast Lakes Land Trust (DLLT) was pleased to welcome a handful of hardy souls, who braved sub-zero wind chills to learn how to identify hardwood trees without the benefit of leaves.

“Once you know a tree by its bark,” said DLLT Forester Kyle Burdick, “You can identify it anywhere, in your wood pile, dead on the ground, or like we are doing here, in the winter.” As well as bark, attendees examined trees’ branching structure, form, and buds, to identify them.  “Poplar bark can look like oak on an old tree, but as you look up at its form, it goes straight up, while oaks tend to branch out more widely,” explained Burdick.

“I had no idea there were this many types of trees in the woods here,” said one attendee, “And now I think I can identify a lot of them.”