Tree Identification Topics: Original Bearing and Line Trees Staples http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/nhnrp/brgtree.pdf https://gisdata.mn.gov/dataset/biota-original-pls-bearing-trees
Common Original Bearing Trees: (Minnesota s Database contains 352,896) Bearing tree data collected during the public land surveys in the latter half of the nineteenth century indicates that tamarack was the most abundant tree in Minnesota at the time of settlement, followed by trembling aspen, bur oak, and paper birch; black spruce was fifth. Trees and shrubs of Minnesota Welby R. Smith, MN DNR (Tamarack: 59,651) Fagaceae (oaks, white: 47,484) Salicaceae (aspen: 45,702) Betulaceae (birches: 28,038) (spruce: 33,802) Others (pines, fir) Ulmaceae (elm) (white cedar) Aceraceae (maples)
Bureau of Land Management Documents http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/reference/manuals/bearingtree.pdf http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/reference/manuals/durability_of_bearing_tree.pdf
Generic group or Table Average age... common name: Deciduous Durability Ranking as a Bearing Tree Description of Lifespan Maturity Estimate Maximum Life Span Potential Frequency as Bearing Tree Willow / black willow Poor short 55 <85 I =infrequent Aspens /Poplar Poor short 50-70 rapid decline <100 F= frequent Cottonwood Balsam poplar Poor to Fair short med 60-75 100-150 rapid decline <125 typical <200, Birches (paper, yellow) Fair short to med 50-75:150 <125 : 150 M Soft maples Poor to Fair Boxelder short Red, silver short to med 50-60 50-75 <100 to 150 M=moderate Hard maples Very good Sugar, Black med to long 75-150 200 (300-400) M Bitternut hickory Very good med-long 200 I Elm Good to Very good med 150 175-200 M Hackberry Fair med-long 100-200 I Ashes Fair to Good Black short 100 M Green med 100-150 M White med-long 150-200 M Cherry Very Poor to Good med 125-175 I Basswood / linden Very good med 150-200 Long-lived root M Coniferous Black walnut Excellent long 150 250 I Red oaks White oaks Good Very Good Black med 150-200 M Pin long 150-250 M Red long 200-300 300 (500) M Swamp med 125-175 200 M Bur long 200-300 remnant trees 300-400 F White long 350-400 >500 M Balsam fir Poor med 125-175 M Tamarack Fair to Very Good med 75 (150-180) (350) F Spruce, black / white Poor to Good med, long 200-300 300 F Cedar, red / white Very Good long 300-400 400+ F Pines Very Good Excellent Jack White /red short long <100, 350-450 <100 450 I F
Heartwood Decay Resistance Moderately Slightly or Very resistant Resistant resistant nonresistant Black locust Catalpa Cherry, black Ashes Red mulberry Eastern redcedar Douglas-fir Aspens Osage-orange Northern white cedar Honey locust Birches Oaks, white Pine, Buckeye Walnut, black (eastern white, old growth) Butternut Cottonwood Tamarack Larch Basswood Elms Firs, true Baldcypress, old growth Baldcypress, young growth Hackberry Redwood, old growth Redwood, young growth Hemlocks Hickories Maples Although heartwood is more susceptible to decay than is sapwood in living trees, for many species, the sapwood of wood products is more susceptible to decay than is the heartwood. Clausen, Carol. Chapter 14 - Biodeterioration of Wood. Forest Products Laboratory. 2010. Wood Handbook - Wood as an engineering material. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-190. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 508 pgs. Oaks, red Pines, (other than listed) Spruces Willows
Resources: Compiled: February 2016 Web links verified: January 2017 Bureau of Land Management: Surveyors notes for surveys done in MN http://www.mngeo.state.mn.us/glo/index.html Bureau of Land Management: Publications: Guide to the Identification of Bearing Tree Remains. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service. Accessed 2/2016. http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/reference/manuals/bearingtree.pdf Durability of Bearing Trees. Bureau of Land Management. Accessed 2/2016. http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/reference/manuals/durability_of_bearing_tree.pdf Minnesota s Bearing Tree Database http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/nhnrp/brgtree.pdf https://gisdata.mn.gov/dataset/biota-original-pls-bearing-trees Tree Longevity Hightshoe, Gary L. Native Trees, Shrubs and Vines for Urban and Rural America: A Planting Design Manual for Environmental Designers. Iowa State University. Silvics of North America: Agriculture Handbook 654. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service. Accessed 2/2016. http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/table_of_contents.htm Dave Hanson, MnDOT Office of Environmental Stewardship Roadside Vegetation Management David.L.Hanson@state.mn.us Decay Resistance Forest Products Laboratory. 2010. Wood Handbook - Wood as an Engineering Material. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-190. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 508 pgs.