Trees

Identifying Red Alder

• Light, spotted bark

• Catkins: males are long and hang low; females are cone-like and release seeds

• Leaves doubly serrate

Red Alder scientific name

Alnus rubra

What are these and which tree do they belong to?

Catkins; red alder

What tree is this?

Red Alder (Alnus rubra)

Identify Douglas Fir

• thick, deeply furrowed bark

• needles are sharp and spiral around branch

• cones have ‘mouse tails’ sticking out

• rot outside in

Douglas fir scientific name

Pseudotsuga meziesii

What tree is this?

Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

What tree do these belong to?

Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

Why are Douglas Fir found in recently disturbed sites?

Early successional species - shade intolerant, better in dry conditions

Why are Red Alder found in recently disturbed sites?

Symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria allows them to thrive in nutrient-poor soil

Identify Western Red Cedar

• thin, striped bark

• branches J-shaped

• flat, scaled leaves

• trunks fluted

• rot from inside out

Western Red Cedar scientific name

Thuja plicata

What tree is this?

Western red cedar (Thuja plicata)

What tree is this?

Western red cedar (Thuja plicata)

Identify Western Hemlock

• bark grey-ish brown

• bark thin with oblong ‘scales’

• branches shelved

• blunt, flat needles with silver underside

• very small cones

Western hemlock scientific name

Tsuga plicata

What tree is this?

Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)

What tree is this?

Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)

What tree is this?

Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)

Identify Bigleaf Maple

• leaves palmate with 5 main lobes

• opposite branching

• often covered in moss and ferns

• double-winged samara

Bigleaf maple scientific name

Acer macrophyllum

What tree is this?

Bigleaf Maple

What tree do these belong to?

Bigleaf Maple

Identify Shore/lodgepole Pine

• twisted needles sprout in pairs

• scaly dark grey bark

• male cones small and orange clusters

• female cones have wood brackets and spikes

• decurrent

Shore/lodgepole pine scientific name

Pinus contorta

What tree is this?

Shore Pine (Pinus contorta)

What family is this in?

Pine (Pinus)

What is the dominant tree here?

Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta)

Identify Ponderosa pine

• needles grow in threes

• longest pine needles

• thick, furrowed bark brown on outside, black inside

• large ovular cones with thick scales and sharp spike

Ponderosa pine scientific name

Pinus ponderosa

What pine species are these from?

Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)

What tree is this?

Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)