Tree Identification

[NextEndeavor]

I'm wanting to learn more about identifying trees and am wondering if anyone has a favorite book to recommend. I'll need pictures of leaves, bark, wood grain and what ever else one needs to figure it out. Especially tough in the winter with no leaves. A farmer I've been getting free wood from said "it all burns and will heat the home". He is right but with 5 cords ready for the upcoming winter, I can maybe be a little pickier now. At present, only interested in trees found in Iowa (in case books are broken out by east or west of the Rockies - not gonna drive that far)

I'll probably order a moisture meters too. I'm sure I'll get $20 worth of fun out of it too. Last winter was a struggle finding dry enough wood cause it was our first year with no stockpile. I'm pretty sure everything we have will be ready for the upcoming season.

Thanks for your thoughts about books

 

[TreePointer]

Over the years, I've studied trees with leaves on them, and then I'd go back to the same trees in other seasons to train myself.

What I find to be helpful these days:

Full color pictures:
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region

When trees have no leaves. A small but excellent helper:
Winter Tree Finder: A Manual for Identifying Deciduous Trees in Winter (Eastern US)

Enter common or scientific names here:
http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/factsheets.cfm

I sometimes look at this guide in conjunction with National Audubon Society's guide:
A Field Guide to Eastern Trees (Peterson Field Guides)


As far as what the trees look like on the inside, cutting and splitting my own has been the best training. Firewood forums like this one and a few others have a bunch of folks who love to argu..., I mean, identify wood for those who need help.

 

[CTYank]

Best I've found over the years is "Knowing Your Trees" published by American Forestry Association.
Dunno how to find a copy now, except at a library.
Black & white pictures.

 

[phatfarmerbob]

http://www.amazon.com/Manual-Woody-Landscape-Plants-Characteristics/dp/1588748685

I used this book in school for a tree and shrub class. it prolly has too much info for simply firewood ID but if your into trees and shrubs this book is the "plant nerd bible"

 

[firefighterjake]

Not a book . . . but I use this source to ID trees that I am not familiar with . . . usually I ID by the leaf. It is Maine-based . . . perhaps Iowa would have a similar agency through the university system.

http://www.umext.maine.edu/mainetreeclub/MTC.htm

 

[jackofalltrades]

The best book for real I.D. work is: National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region

There are many resources out there that will work fine, but all of the Audubon field guides are really good. The web can help but if your not careful you can get a bad I.D. from that.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

One of the best is not a book, but it is free. Just use Google. For example, search for Red Oak Trees. Then when the links come up, on the left side of the page, click on Images and you will get lots of pictures and most of them are pretty darned good. You will probably find pictures of leaves, trees, wood, etc. Probably even a picture of different red oak trees, like red, black, pin, burr, etc. You can do this for any type of tree you have in your area.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Little Golden Books has a good one. National Audubon is good as well. I suggest going to an actual bookstore and looking through them- pick one that includes drawings as opposed to photos only. Drawings are better because they are done in such a way that you can see the feature of interest that distinguishes one from another.

The problem with pictures is evident when you see a post here and people are saying "hrrrm- usually the leaves do this..." when the sample is not "ideal". A picture of one tree may have very different coloration, or size, or bark, but the drawing gets the important features in front of you.

 

[KodiakII]

Someone should invent an "app" for those so called smart phones so you could take a picture or the bark and or leaf and have it use photo recognition to identify the tree. Not much good to me...I refuse to even own a regular cell phone.!

 

[Wood Duck]

I suggest you get a guide that is complete (lists ALL the trees in your region) and is not too reliant on pictures, ID by bark characteristics (too variable to be sure of IDs) or any other imprecise way to ID trees. I have an old Petersons Guide to Trees and Shrubs (of the northeast) by George Petrides, and I really like it.

Whatever book you choose, I suggest you first go out and positively ID some trees you are pretty sure about. How can you be sure that Red Oak in your backyard is a Red Oak? (leaf and bud characteristics). Once you are sure of one, check nearby trees. OK, now you know for sure that there are some Red Oak, plus a few Black Oak. check out the differences in the two that aren't precise enough to put in a key, but are nonetheless consistent and obvious. The Red Oak has bark with shiny ridges and is less twiggy. the Blacks have bark that tends to look like tire tread and are twiggier than Red Oaks. Everybody who is good at tree ID uses characteristics like the bark pattern and overall shape of the tree for most IDs, then on trees that are confusing verifies the ID with scientific details. Now that you know Red and Black oaks, maybe you'll notice one that looks a little different. A quick check of the details tells you it is something else, so you get your book and ID it. One by one you start to know all the trees in your area. It will take years to reliably know all the trees, but that is how people who know learned. The good news is that as you get used to using the book it becomes easier.

 

[NextEndeavor]

Thanks for all the ideas. I have three picked out. The cost is minimal compared to the 5 cords of sweat equity firewood setting out back.

 

[indiana4spartans]

Someone should invent an "app" for those so called smart phones so you could take a picture or the bark and or leaf and have it use photo recognition to identify the tree. Not much good to me...I refuse to even own a regular cell phone.!

There is an app right now I use on my iPhone - called LeafSnap. Very cool.

 

[jackofalltrades]

Kodiak the Arbor Day Foundation also has something for smart phones on tree I.D. I think you have to use it more like a resource book but there are a few things available.