York County Envirothon- 3rd and 4th Grade Forestry Study Species Identification Packet Forest Species- Even Years Table of Contents: Deciduous Simple Leaves: 1. American Chestnut SEED PROVIDED 2. Black Willow 3. Chestnut Oak 4. Sassafras 5. Spicebush shrub 6. Sugar Maple- opposite 7. Tuliptree SEED PROVIDED 8. White Oak SEED PROVIDED Deciduous Compound Leaves: 9. Black Walnut SEED PROVIDED 10. Box Elder opposite SEED PROVIDED 11. Poison Ivy - vine 12. Shagbark Hickory SEED PROVIDED 13. Virginia Creeper - vine Evergreen Leaves: 14. Eastern White Pine 15. Mountain Laurel shrub 16. Virginia Pine 17. Sources
American Chestnut Castanea dentata Leaves are simple. Leaves have a sharp point at the tip and are toothed. Each tooth has a fine bristle tip. Twigs have many small, white, raised lenticels. Seed is large and brown with a spiny, sharp husk. 2-3 shiny nuts are found inside the husk. Nuts ripen in the fall. Flowers are called catkins and appear in spring and summer. Suffers from the Chestnut Blight which is a disease affecting the bark. Most American Chestnuts found today are small stump sprouts, but before the blight began in 1904, American Chestnuts reached 100 feet tall. American Chestnut leaves are smooth and hairless on both sides, while Chinese Chestnut (planted for it s disease resistance) is fuzzy beneath. Forests Chestnuts were once so numerous along the eastern forests of the U.S. that it is said a squirrel could jump from chestnut tree to chestnut tree all the way from Georgia to New York without ever touching the ground. US Fish and Wildlife Service The nuts are eaten by deer, black bear, raccoon, rabbit, squirrel, chipmunk, turkey, grouse, and quail. Leaves are food for over 125 types of caterpillars and many other insects. Native Americans relied on the American chestnut as a dietary staple. During colonization of North America, Chestnut wood was used for railroad ties, houses, barns, fences, and fuel. Its wood is still valuable and used for posts, fine furniture, musical instruments, and wood paneling. Tannic acid from the wood is used to tan leather. Chestnuts are called the bread tree because their nuts can be milled into flour. Chestnuts can be roasted, boiled, dried, or candied. 1
Black Willow Salix nigra Leaves are simple. Leaves are lance-shaped. Leaves have finely toothed margins. Leaves have small leafy parts at the base of the leaf stalk. Flowers are called catkins. Cone-shaped capsules contain many small, cottony seeds. Small size tree reaching 30 feet high. Stream banks and wet meadows. Deer eat the twigs and shoots. One of the first flowers in the spring that provides honey and pollen for honey bees. Elk and beaver eat willow leaves in the summer and twigs in the winter. Leaves are food for over 455 species of caterpillars and many, many other insects. Wood is used to make wicker furniture. Black willow tea was used historically for pain relief. Chemists made a synthetic version of the compounds in black willow to create aspirin. Lumber is used for shipping boxes. Growing along the banks of streams black willow roots hold onto the soil preventing erosion. 2
Leaves are simple. Leaves have very shallow rounded lobes. Male and female flowers look different. Male flowers look like green catkins. Female flowers look like reddish spikes. Both occur in spring. Seeds are called acorns. Acorns are 1-1 ½ long. Acorns fall off trees in the fall. Older trees have grey to dark grey bark with thick deep fissures. Medium sized tree up to 70 feet tall. Dry slopes, rocky ridges, or streamsides. Chestnut Oak Quercus prinus Acorns are important food for deer, bear, turkey, squirrels, chipmunks, and mice. Acorns and bark are food for various gall wasps, moths, beetle larvae, caterpillars, and nut weevils. Leaves are food for over 530 types of caterpillars and many other insects. Its heavy and strong wood is used for furniture, flooring, and railroad ties. Good shade tree for lawns and parks. 3
Sassafras Sassafras albidum Leaves are simple. All parts of tree smell fragrant when crushed or ripped. Some describe the smell like Fruit Loops. Leaves have three different shapes on the same tree: entire, 2-lobed, and 3-lobed. Seeds are dark blue, shiny berries. Berries are about ½ around. Berries are in clusters on red stems in the fall. Branches have tiny yellow flowers before leaves grow in the spring. Each tree has only male or female flowers. Small to medium size tree, reaching 50 feet high. Sassafras is a pioneer tree on disturbed sites. Pioneer plants are the first plants to grow in an open space. Forest, fields, and roadsides. Berries are eaten by quails, turkeys, mockingbirds, woodpeckers and other birds. Black bears, beaver, rabbits, and squirrels eat the berries, bark and wood. White-tailed Deer eat the twigs and leaves. Native Americans used parts of the tree to make medicines and spices for food. Roots were once used to make tea, and scent soap. Today, ground roots are still used as a spice in Cajun foods. The wood is light and used for firewood, fence posts, furniture, and boats. Planted for their fragrant flowers and beautiful fall leaves. 4
Spicebush Lindera benzoin Leaves are simple. Spicebush is a shrub that grows up to 12 feet tall. Shrubs typically have multiple trunks. Dark green oval leaves with points at both ends. Leaves turn yellow in the fall. When crushed, leaves and twigs smell pleasant. Flowers are small and pale yellow in March or April before leaves. Fruits are shiny red berries in the fall. Moist woods and marshes. Many types of birds eat the berries including robins, bobwhite, catbirds, wood thrushes and kingbirds. Raccoons and opossums also eat the berries. Host plant for Spicebush and Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillars. White-tailed Deer eat the leaves and twigs. Provides cover for small animals like rabbits, chipmunks, and squirrels. A tea can be made from the leaves and twigs. Native Americans ground the fruits into a powder to make a spice similar to allspice. 5
Sugar Maple Acer saccharum Leaves are opposite. Leaves are simple. Leaves have five lobes with a few large teeth. Leaves turn bright yellow, orange, or red in fall. Flowers are yellow-green and hang from a long skinny stem in the spring. Seeds are shaped like horseshoes and called samaras. They spin as they fall to the ground like helicopters. Large tree reaching 100 feet tall. Moist woods. Birds, grey squirrels, and flying squirrels eat the seeds of sugar maple. Deer, moose, squirrels, porcupine, and other animals eat the twigs, buds, and bark. Songbirds, woodpeckers, and cavity nesters nest in sugar maple. Bees and other insects visit the flowers of sugar maples to collect pollen. Leaves are eaten by over 285 types of caterpillars and many other insects. Sugar maple wood is used to make furniture, musical instruments, tool handles, bowling pins, and hardwood floors. Sugar maple sap is collected and boiled into maple syrup. It is the only tree used to make maple syrup today because its sap has twice the amount of sugar as other maple species. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. Native Americans used maple sap for sugar, candy, as a beverage, fermented into beer, and soured into vinegar. 6
Tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera Leaves are simple. Leaves have 4 lobes and are shaped like tulip or cat face. Leaves are bright green, and turn yellow in the fall. Buds are large and flattened like a duckbill. The seeds form cone-like clusters 2 ½ -3 inches long. Each seed in the cluster is winged and called a samara. Seed clusters are green in summer and turn brown in the fall when ripe. Flowers grow high in the trees in the summer and look like tulips. They are yellow and orange. One of the tallest trees in eastern forests reaching 120 feet tall. Sunny forest spots near streams. Seeds are eaten by songbirds, game birds, rabbits, squirrels, and mice. White-tailed deer eat young twigs. Tuliptrees are planted on streets and yard for shade and beauty. Tuliptree wood is soft and weak. It s used to make pulpwood for paper. Tuliptree is planted for reforestation of damaged sites because it grows quickly. 7
White Oak Quercus alba Leaves are simple. Leaves have 6-10 rounded lobes. Seeds are called acorns. Acorns are ¾-1 long. Acorns ripen in September. Bark is light grey or whitish, scaly, and often flaky. Male flowers are green catkins and dangle 2-4 inches long. Female flowers are reddish and appear as single spikes with the leaves. Large tree reaching over 100 feet tall. Forest. Acorns are eaten by squirrels, blue jays, crows, redheaded woodpeckers, deer, turkey, quail, mice, chipmunks, and raccoons. Over 500 different caterpillar species and many other insects including walkingsticks and gall forming insects eat the leaves. Native Americans used acorns to make flour. Wood is strong and durable. It has been used for hardwood flooring, barrels, lumber, and boat building. White Oak is planted in parks and neighborhoods because of its beautiful leaves and pretty red to purple fall colors. 8
Black Walnut Juglans nigra Leaves are compound. Leaves have 15-24 leaflets. Each leaflet is 3-4 inches long with small teeth. Leaflets are paler below and hairy on the underside. The leaf stem has very fine hairs. Seeds are round nuts, 1-2 inches in diameter. Seeds ripen in the fall. Seeds are covered by a thick, green, spongy husk. Male flowers are called catkins and look like dangling green earrings. They are visible as the young leaves are opening in the spring. Male and female flowers look different. Large tree up to 100 feet tall. Forests with moist soils. Nuts are eaten by squirrels. yellow-bellied sapsuckers drills holes in the bark to eat sap. Twigs are eaten by deer, mice, and rabbits. Walnut leaves are food for over 130 types of caterpillars and many other types of insects including aphids and lace bugs. Wood is used to make quality furniture, musical instruments, and guns. Shells are ground for use in many products including cleaning jet engines, filler in dynamite, and an ingredient in car tires. Nuts are harvested for use in baked goods and ice cream. 9
Box Elder Acer negundo Leaves are opposite. Leaves are compound. Each leaf has 3-5 leaflets with teeth. Leaves can be easy to confuse with poison ivy. Twigs have scattered raised lenticels. Drooping yellow and green flowers appear in the spring. Seeds are shaped like horseshoes and called samaras. They spin as they fall to the ground like helicopters in the fall. Buds are white and hairy. Medium size tree reaching up to 70 feet tall. Low, moist areas, floodplains and stream banks. Leaves are eaten by over 285 types of caterpillars and many other insects including the leaf stalk borer, gall mites, and the box elder bug. Birds and squirrels eat box elder seeds. Deer eat stems in the fall. Box elder can be planted in disturbed areas to hold onto soil and prevent erosion. Box elder wood is used for cheap furniture, construction lumber, and boxes. Native Americans made syrup from box elder sap but it is not as sweet as sugar maple syrup. 10
Poison Ivy Toxicodendron radicans Leaves are compound. Each leaf has three leaflets. Poison ivy can grow as a groundcover, vine, or shrub. The vine has a hairy appearance. Flowers are small and green or white. Berries are small and whitish gray. Can live almost anywhere. Dry or moist sites. Woods or fields. Roadsides and paths. At least 75 species of birds eat the fruits and seeds of poison ivy. Mammals including bears, deer, muskrats, rabbits, squirrels, mice, and rats eat the leaves, stems, and fruits of poison ivy. May cause rashes for humans who come in contact with any part of the plant. Therefore, poison ivy is generally removed where humans may come in contact with it. Poison ivy may be valuable as a native plant that can colonize disturbed areas protecting soil from erosion. 11
Shagbark Hickory Carya ovata Leaves are compound. Leaves usually have 5 leaflets. Leaves are 8-14 inches long. Leaves are finely toothed. Leaves are often paler and downy beneath. Flowers in the spring with male catkins and female spikes. Seeds are nearly round nuts covered in a thick husk that splits into 4 pieces when ripe. Seeds are 1-2 ½ inches in diameter. Young trees have smooth gray bark. Older bark breaks into long loosely attached plates making the trunk look shaggy. Large tree reaching 70-80 feet tall. Rich soils, hillsides, valleys. Hickory nuts are food for squirrels, chipmunks, black bears, gray and red foxes, rabbits, white-footed mice, mallards, wood ducks, bobwhites, and wild turkey. Hickory is the host plant (larval food) for around 200 species of caterpillars (butterflies and moths). Hickory wood is heavy, hard, and strong. It is used for tool handles, furniture, firewood, charcoal, and to smoke meats. In history hickory wood has been used to make bows (bow and arrow) and wheel spokes for carriages. Nuts are edible to humans. Native Americans crushed the nut kernel to make cooking oil and bread flour. 12
Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia Leaves are alternate? Leaves are palmately compound with five leaflets. Leaves have toothed margins. Leaves are red when young, turn green, and turn bright red again in the fall. Small green flowers appear in the spring. Small clusters of bluish-black berries appear in early summer. Older vines have pale raised dots. Woody vine. Forests, forest clearings, fencerows, and stream banks. Virginia Creeper berries are eaten by birds, mice, skunks, chipmunks, squirrels, cattle, and deer. The leaves provide cover for small animals. Vines provide birds with perches, nesting sites, and places to find food. Virginia Creeper makes a great ground cover on shady slopes to prevent erosion. Berries are highly toxic to humans and may be fatal if eaten. The sap can cause skin irritation for some people. Virginia Creeper bark has been used medicinally for many purposes including a cure for diarrhea and cough syrup. Used in gardens because of its beautiful fall leaves. It looks great for covering walls and fences. 13
Eastern White Pine Pinus strobes Leaves are evergreen. Leaves are needles in clusters of 5. Each needle is 2 ½ - 5 inches long and bluish green. Seeds are in cones 5-8 inches long. Cones do not have prickles. Each cone scale holds 2 winged seeds. Large tree reaching 50-90 feet high. Historically, White Pines have been found to reach over 150 feet tall. Forest Seeds and needles are eaten by birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and mice. Porcupines enjoy the inner bark. Deer eat the young twigs. Ornamental tree planted in parks and neighborhood landscapes. Valuable timber. 14
Leaves are simple. Leaves are evergreen. Leaves are shiny, waxy, and elliptical with pointed tips. Clusters of flowers are white or pink in a bowl-shape and each flower is about one inch wide. Flowers appear in late spring and early summer. Fruits are small brown capsules that split into five pieces when dry. Very small seeds fall out in the fall. A small tree or shrub with many stems. Up to 10 feet tall. Mountains and pine forests. Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia Flowers are pollinated by bumblebees. White-tailed deer, rabbits, black bears, and ruffed grouse eat the leaves of mountain laurel during winter food shortages. Black bears sleep in mountain laurel thickets. White-tailed deer, screech owls, ruffed grouse, and many songbirds can be found hiding in mountain laurel. Mountain Laurel leaves, buds, flowers, and fruits are poisonous to farm animals and humans. Mountain laurel has been used medicinally to treat diarrhea, upset stomach, skin rashes, and as a sedative (to make you sleepy). Mountain laurel wood is heavy, hard, and strong. It has been used for making smoking pipes, wreathes, rope, furniture, bowls and silverware. Flowers are used in flower arrangements and gardens. 15
Leaves are evergreen needles Needles are in bundles of 2 twisted needles. Male flowers are yellow and female flowers are small yellow to red prickles. Fruits are cones 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches long. Cones have sharp prickles and open in the fall. Small to medium size tree reaching up to 70 feet tall. Forest Virginia pine seeds are a food source for many small mammals and birds including bobwhites. Virginia pine makes good nesting sites for woodpeckers because older trees tend to have softened wood. White-tailed deer eat the leaves and twigs. In the past, Virginia pinewood has been used for mine props, railroad ties, lumber, fuel, tar, and charcoal. Today, Virginia pinewood is used for pulpwood. Virginia pine is farmed for Christmas Trees. Virginia Pine Pinus virginiana 16
Sources: Bringing Nature Home http://bringingnaturehome.net/native-gardening/woody-plants Common Trees of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry, Harrisburg, PA Study of Northern Virginia Ecology http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology.htm USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service http://plants.usda.gov/java/ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Restoration of the American Chestnut in New Jersey. http://www.fws.gov/northeast/njfieldoffice//pdf/fact%20sheets%20pdf%20holding/american_chestnut_web.pdf USDA Forest Service http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/ Virginia Tech, Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/idit.htm 17