Module 2: Winter Tree ID. TreeStewards February 2, 2019

Transcription

1 Module 2: Winter Tree ID TreeStewards February 2, 2019

2 To communicate to each other about plants To learn more information about a plant

3 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 3

4 What does it take to identify trees in winter? Preferable Curiosity Use of most of your senses Sight Smell Touch Taste Hearing (?) Observation Skills What to observe? How to observe? Recognise patterns Not Required Degree in Biology (study of life) Degree in Botany (study of plant life) Degree in Dendrology (study of trees) Study in Plant taxonomy (science that finds, identifies, describes, classifies, and names plants) Constant application

5 Tools to help you identify trees Hand lens (10x) Binoculars Favorite field guide Small ruler 5

6 Parts of a Tree branches top foliage (leaves) crown branch twig branch bole trunk radicle lateral roots root hair zone taproot

7 Characteristics What characteristics are available for identification? Winter Habitat Tree Form (size and shape) Bark (color and texture) Twigs (branching structure) and Buds (texture, color, shape) Persistent, Conspicuous, Fallen Fruit Summer/ Fall Leaves (shape, size, texture, color, arrangement, margins, lobes/sinuses) Fruit Flowers 7

8 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

9 Habitat Where is the tree growing? Factors include: Availability of water Type of soil (geology) Temperature range Amount of sunlight Types of habitats: Wetlands Woodlands Open lands Rocky areas

10 Tree Forms

11 Bark Bark is a protective woody or corky layer produced on the surface of the branches and trunks. Bark is highly variable, depending on age and environmental conditions at the location. Main bark characteristics Thickness Degree of roughness (smooth, scaly, furrowed) Color of outer and inner bark Depth and breadth of fissures, width of fissures, and length of plates

12 Bark - Adjectives Smooth Shaggy Platy Blocky Ridged/Furrowed Ropey/Strongly Furrowed Warty Diamond Exfoliating/ Peeling Fibrous/ shreddy Lenticels

13 2019 SMA Urban Tree of the Year: American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)

14 Branching Patterns

15 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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17 Twig & Buds

18 Terminal Bud Types

19 Leaf Types and Terminology Simple Compound

20 Buds

21 ASHES Oleaceae Fraxinus sp. white ash Fraxinus americana -tree has opposite leaf scars shaped like a U green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica -tree has opposite leaf scars shaped like a D

22 MAPLES Aceraceae Acer sp. sugar maple Acer saccharum red maple Acer rubrum silver maple Acer saccharinum box elder Acer negundo

23 HICKORIES Juglandaceae Carya sp. bitternut pignut mockernut shagbark Carya cordiformis Carya glabra Carya tomentosa Carya ovata

24 white oak Quercus alba OAKES Fagaceae Quercus sp. northern red oak Quercus rubra black oak Quercus velutina

25 In the process of identifying trees, there is a logical sequence to identify the correct tree The instrument that is used to select the correct tree is a dichotomous key.

26 What is a dichotomous key? Dichotomous means "having two equal parts". A key is a tool used to identify organisms. A dichotomous key provides a series of choices between two related characteristics. Each pair of choices is known as a couplet. Making the correct choice each time will ultimately lead to the name of the organism. What trees do these twigs come from? 1a. Buds are opposite one another...go to 2 1b. Buds are alternate...go to 3 2a. Twig is robust...ash 2b. Twig is thin...maple 3a. Buds crowded near tip of twig.oak 3b. Buds thin and long...beech a b c d

27 Artificial Classification

28 Fruit

29 Questions?

30 Conifer Leaf-type Comparison Blunt and flat Scale & awl-like Needles

31 2 33 ) ) 2 ( ) Cedar White pine (5) Pitch pine (3) Virginia pine (2)