York County Envirothon- 3rd and 4th Grade Forestry Study Species Identification Packet Forest Species Table of Contents: Deciduous Simple Leaves: 1. American Chestnut 2. Autumn Olive (introduced invasive) 3. Red Oak 4. Sassafras 5. Sugar Maple 6. Tuliptree 7. White Oak Deciduous Compound Leaves: 8. Black Walnut 9. Hickory Species 10. Poison Ivy 11. Tree of Heaven (introduced invasive) 12. Virginia Creeper 13. White Ash Evergreen Leaves: 14. Eastern Hemlock 15. Eastern Red Cedar 16. Mountain Laurel 17. Virginia Pine
American Chestnut Castanea dentata ALTERNATE branching pattern. Leaves are SIMPLE, ELLIPTICAL, & TOOTHED with bristle tips. 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 fungal 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. LEAF AND FLOWER Upland forest. 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. SEEDS 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 fence 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. Native Americans relied on the American chestnut as a dietary staple.
Autumn Olive Elaeagnus umbellata ALTERNATE branching pattern. SIMPLE leaves are ELLIPTICAL shaped with ENTIRE margins. Medium to large deciduous SHRUB. Underside of leaves are SILVERY- WHITE. Small yellow or white flowers in spring. Small red berries with silver polka dots in late summer and fall. Roadsides, fields, open woods. Native to China, Korea, and Japan. It is now an exotic invasive plant throughout the eastern half of the United States. LEAVES AND FRUITS LEAVES AND FLOWER Birds and other animals eat the fruits, however, they are low in nutrients. Autumn Olive was brought to North America on purpose in the 1800s. This shrub was planted in gardens for its pretty leaves and fruits. This shrub provides erosion control in disturbed areas. Rows of shrubs provide a wind barrier for farm animals and homes. The fruits can attract wildlife and can be used by hunters to attract wildlife. Autumn Olive spreads quickly and shades out native plants. It is very difficult to get rid of. There are more beneficial native plants that provide more human and wildlife value.
Red Oak Quercus rubra ALTERNATE branching pattern. SIMPLE leaves with LOBES and BRISTLE- TIPPED TEETH. Male flowers are catkins in spring. Female flowers are spikes. Fruits are ACORNS. Medium to large size tree. Forests, cities LEAVES ACORN Oak leaves are food for Chipmunk with Acorn over 500 different butterflies and moth larva including the Red-spotted Purple Butterfly and the IO Moth. Twigs and leaves are eaten by white-tailed deer, elk, cottontail rabbits, and moose! Many mammals eat the acorns of red oak including the white-footed mouse and flying squirrel. Birds like the northern bobwhite and red-headed woodpecker eat the acorns. Many species of ducks also eat the acorns including the golden-eye duck. Many red oak trees hold onto their brown leaves in the winter, making them good shelter for a variety of animals. CATKINS Red oaks can be planted in polluted areas such as old coal mine spoils to restore a natural habitat. Traditionally acorns of many oak trees were used by Native American peoples as a food and medicine source. Red Oak acorns were soaked and boiled to remove bitter tannins.
Cecropia moths lay eggs on sassafras leaves. Sassafras Sassafras albidum ALTERNATE branching pattern. SIMPLE leaves are OVAL shaped. Leaves have three different shaped leaf margins on the same tree: ENTIRE, TWO LOBES, THREE LOBES. All parts of tree smell fragrant when crushed or ripped. Some describe the smell like Fruit Loops. Fruits are dark blue, shiny drupes in fall. Branches have tiny yellow flowers before leaves grow in the spring. Small to medium size tree. Sassafras is a pioneer tree on disturbed sites. Pioneer plants are the first plants to grow in an open space. Forest, fields, roadsides, and fence rows. 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. Food for many insects including Cecropia Moth caterpillars. LEAVES DRUPES Native Americans used parts of the tree to make medicines and spices for food. Roots were once used to make tea, rootbeer, 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.
Sugar Maple Acer saccharum OPPOSITE branching pattern. SIMPLE leaves have ROUND shape with five LOBES. 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 called SAMARAS. They spin as they fall to the ground like helicopters. Large tree reaching 100 feet tall. LEAF Moist woods and yards 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 build nests 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. SAMARAS Sugar maple wood is used to make furniture, musical instruments, bowling pins, and hardwood floors. Sugar maple sap is collected and boiled into maple syrup. Native Americans used maple sap for sugar, candy, as a beverage, fermented into beer, and soured into vinegar. Porcupines eat the twigs, bark, and buds of sugar maple.
Tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera LEAF AND FLOWER ALTERNATE branching pattern. SIMPLE leaves are ROUND shaped with four LOBES. Buds are large and flattened like a duckbill. The seeds form cone-like clusters. Each seed in the cluster is winged and called a SAMARA. 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 up to 200 feet tall. Forests near streams. FLOWER Seeds are eaten by songbirds, game birds, rabbits, squirrels, and mice. White-tailed deer eat young twigs. Leaves are food for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly caterpillar and some of our giant moths including the Tulip- Tree Moth and Promethea Moth. SEEDS Tulip trees are planted on streets and yard for shade and beauty. Tulip tree wood is used to make pulpwood for paper. Tulip tree is planted for reforestation of damaged sites because it grows quickly. Tulip tree is a valuable hardwood. It is used for furniture, general construction, plywood, and boxes. Native American s used tulip tree wood to make dugout canoes.
White Oak Quercus alba ALTERNATE branching pattern. SIMPLE leaves are ELLIPTICAL in shape with rounded LOBES. Seeds are called ACORNS. Bark is light grey or whitish, scaly, and often flaky. Male flowers are green CATKINS. Female flowers are reddish and appear as single spikes with the leaves. Large tree reaching over 100 feet tall. LEAVES CATKINS Forests and water edges. Acorns are eaten by squirrels, blue jays, crows, red-headed woodpeckers, deer, turkey, quail, mice, chipmunks, and raccoons. Over 500 different caterpillar species and many other insects including walking sticks and gall forming insects eat the leaves. Native Americans used acorns to make flour. White oak wood is strong and durable. It has been used for hardwood flooring, barrels, ACORNS lumber, furniture, and boat building. White Oak is planted in parks and neighborhoods because of its beautiful leaves and pretty red to purple fall colors. Red-headed Woodpecker
Black Walnut Juglans nigra ALTERNATE branching pattern. COMPOUND leaves with LANCE shaped leaflets. Leaves have 15-24 leaflets. Each leaflet is 2-4 inches long with small TEETH. Seeds are round nuts, 1-2 inches in diameter. Seeds ripen in the fall. Seeds are covered by a thick, green, spongy husk seen below. Male flowers are called CATKINS and look like dangling green earrings. Large tree up to 100 feet tall. LEAF Forests and floodplains. Nuts are eaten by squirrels. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers drill holes in the bark to eat sap. Twigs are eaten by deer, mice, and Eastern cottontails. Walnut leaves are food for over 130 types of caterpillars and many other types of insects including aphids, lace bugs, and Luna Moths. SEEDS 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. Nut Shell Opened by Squirrel
Hickory Carya sp. LEAF ALTERNATE branching pattern. PINNATELY COMPOUND leaves have ELLIPTICAL FINELY TOOTHED leaflets. Flowers in the spring with male CATKINS and female spikes. Seeds are nearly round nuts covered in a thick husk that splits open when ripe. Large tree reaching 70-80 feet tall. Forests, hillsides. 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 leaves are food for around 200 species of caterpillars (butterflies and moths) including the Luna Moth and the Monkey Slug. Many animals take shelter in the branches and cavities of hickories. SEEDS 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. The Monkey Slug caterpillar is the larva of the Hag Moth.
Poison Ivy Toxicodendron radicans ALTERNATE branching pattern. PALMATELY COMPOUND leaves with 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. Fruits are small drupes and whitish gray. Can live almost anywhere. Dry or moist sites. Woods or fields. Roadsides and paths. LEAF AND FRUIT At least 75 species of birds eat the fruits and seeds of poison ivy. Mammals including bears, deer, muskrats, Eastern Cottontails, 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. DRUPES Poison ivy may be valuable as a native plant that can colonize disturbed areas protecting soil from erosion. Yellow-rumped Warbler Eating Poison Ivy Berries
Tree-of-Heaven Ailanthus altissima ALTERNATE branching pattern. PINNATELY COMPOUND leaves with 10-41 leaflets with SMOOTH leaf margins. One or two TEETH are located at the base of each leaflet. Crushed leaves may smell like burnt peanut butter or another foul odor. Large clusters of yellow flowers occur in late summer. Tan to reddish fruits called SAMARAS are found throughout fall. Small to medium tree reaching 80 feet tall. Tree-of-heaven can grow almost anywhere. Forest edges, fields, roadsides, and even cracks in the pavement. Native to China, this tree is an exotic invasive in the United States. Chemicals in the tree s roots kill other plants that try to grow nearby. Stinky smelling male flowers attract flies, bees, and beetles as pollinators. White-tailed deer do not eat tree-of-heaven causing more deer damage to surrounding native plants. LEAF SAMARAS Tree-of-heaven roots can cause damage to sewer lines and building foundations. In the past it was planted for its unique ability to grow quickly almost anywhere, but soon lost popularity due to annoying sprouting, weedy nature, and foul odor of stems and leaves. It was previously planted in cities and yards as a shade tree.
Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia ALTERNATE branching pattern. PALMATELY COMPOUND leaves with five toothed leaflets. Small green flowers appear in the spring. Small clusters of bluish-black berries appear in early summer. Woody vine. Forests, forest clearings, fencerows, and stream banks. LEAVES 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 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 covering walls and fences.
White Ash Fraxinus Americana OPPOSITE branching pattern. PINNATELY COMPOUND leaves with ELLIPTICAL to LANCE shaped leaflets. Small, green flower clusters appear in spring. Fruits are SAMARAS that occur in late summer through fall. A large tree that can reach 80 feet tall. Forests, school campuses, lawns, and parks White-tailed deer, beaver, porcupine, and rabbits eat the bark and twigs of young trees. Samaras are eaten by wood ducks, bobwhite, turkey, grouse, squirrels, mice, and many other animals. Cavity nesting animals often find good nesting sites in white ash trees. LEAF White ash gets its name from its white colored wood which is strong, heavy, and shock resistant. Native Americans used the wood for tools and today it is still used for tool handles. Today it is also used for baseball bats, furniture, doors, railroad ties, canoe paddles, snowshoes, boats, and more! White ash is commonly used as a shade tree in public places. White ash is used to reforest disturbed areas. Native Americans had many medicinal uses for white ash including to stop itching from mosquito bites. SAMARAS
Eastern Hemlock Tsuga canadensis LEAVES AND CONES Leaves are EVERGREEN. Leaves are flattened NEEDLES attached singly to branches. Seeds are in tiny egg-shaped cones ¾ inch long. Under each cone scale are two small winged seeds. Large, long-lived tree. Some old growth forests have hemlocks that are up to 400 years old! Cool, moist forests. Ruffed grouse, wild turkey, and songbirds eat the seeds. Many birds find shelter on the branches of Hemlock trees. The deep shade that hemlock trees provide helps keep forest streams cool. Tannic acid was harvested from Hemlock tree bark and is used for tanning leather. Crossbill Eating Hemlock Seeds Wood was used in construction. State tree of Pennsylvania. Native Americans used hemlock wood as an ingredient in bread and soups. Tea was made from leaves which have high vitamin C content. Used in landscaping as a visual or wind screen. It can be shaped into rectangular hedges.
Eastern Red Cedar Juniperus virginiana Short, SCALY leaves are EVERGREEN. Red Cedar has two types of flowers. Male flowers are yellowish-brown and female flowers are light bluish-green. Flowers turn into berry-like cones that turn blue in September. Bark is reddish-brown and peeling off. Small tree reaching up to 40 feet tall. Fields, roadsides, forest understory Cones LEAVES Bark Cedar is the host plant for over 35 species of butterfly and moth larva including the Juniper Hairstreak. Young Red Cedars get eaten by white-tailed deer, mice, and Eastern cottontails. Cones are eaten by many birds and mammals including American robins, cedar waxwings, purple finches, American crows, woodpeckers, skunks, raccoons, and many more. Red Cedars are important cover for small mammals and make great nesting sites for birds. Many fungi like to grow on Red Cedar. The wood of Red Cedar is used for fence posts, poles, paneling, furniture, pencils, pet bedding, and chests. Red Cedars are planted as Christmas Trees and as hedges. Red Cedars are planted in backyards and parks to attract wildlife. Red Cedar wood has insect-repelling properties, so it s used to help repel clothing moths by putting wood or shavings in closets and chests. Juniper Hairstreak Fungi, Gymnosporangium juniperi
Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia LEAVES AND SIMPLE, EVERGREEN leaves have ALTERNATE branching pattern. Leaves are shiny, waxy, and ELLIPTICAL with pointed tips. Clusters of flowers are white or pink in a bowlshape. 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. 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). SEEDS 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.
Virginia Pine Pinus virginiana LEAVES EVERGREEN leaves are twisted needles in bundles of 2. Male flowers are yellow and female flowers are small yellow to red prickles. Fruits are CONES with prickles. Small to medium size tree reaching up to 70 feet tall. Sandy and rocky soils and ridge tops. 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 pine wood has been used for mine props, railroad ties, lumber, fuel, tar, and charcoal. Today, Virginia pine wood is used for pulpwood to make paper products. Virginia pine is farmed for Christmas Trees. SEEDS