Tree Identification

Draw three diagrams of a tree.

Diagram 1: Start on a fresh page in your journal. Draw a diagram of a tree showing the following parts: roots, trunk, main branches, secondary branches, leaves. Review this link: thinkquest.org

Diagram 2: After reviewing, record in your journal the following shapes of trees: Columnar, pyramidal, v-shaped, round, oval, weeping. First draw the natural shape of the tree in pencil, and then draw the geometric figure of the tree in marker. Follow along with this video of tree shapes.

Diagram 3: Draw a cross section of a tree trunk after reviewing the Life of a Tree at: http://www.arborday.org/kids/carly/lifeofatree: Label the outer bark, inner bark, the cambium, sapwood, and heartwood layers. These definitions and this reference will help: thinkquest.org

bark: outer skin of a tree inner bark: also called phloem that carries food from leaves to rest of tree cambium: growing layer of tree sapwood/xylem: layer that carries water to tree heartwood: center support of tree

Supplies: Internet, leaves, wax paper, iron, towel, paper and pencil or pen

What trees will grow best where you live? Take a walk and collect some leaves. Using the following website, see if you can identify the kinds of trees in your area: arborday.org. Check to see if your tree is:

Needle or Broad Leaf? Single or Compound leaf? Evergreen or Deciduous tree? Opposite or Alternate?

If you have a smart phone, you can use the free app, LeafSnap. Once you have found and identified 10 leaves, press the leaves between two pieces of wax paper that are the same size. Place one sheet of paper flat on an ironing board, lay the leaf in the middle, and cover with the second sheet. Place a towel over the wax paper and press with a warm iron. If you do not have access to an iron, you can use clear contact paper. Be careful to lay the leaf flat onto the sticky side and then cover the leaf smoothing out bubbles. Label the pressed leaves and put them in a tree identification folder.

Trees can make a home or property beautiful and increase the value while saving on energy costs. Shade trees on the east and west of a building keep it cool enough to reduce the amount of air conditioning needed; they also shade concrete sidewalks and asphalt parking lots. A line of trees, called a windbreak, helps keep cold winter winds away. Make an outline about trees that tells how trees are our friends. Check out the trees on your school yard at the National Tree Benefit Calculator. List several contributions trees make to our daily living

Trees are our friends!

There are close to 10,000 identified species of trees on earth. There are more than 1,000 different species of trees in the United States alone. In the US, there are twice as many hardwood trees as softwood trees. Less than 100 types of trees are commercially used. Tree species group trees together that share the same morphology (form), DNA (genetics), geography (location) and propagation(regeneration). Now that you know the name of the trees in your yard and on your school ground, look at other species of the same tree. For example, if the tree in your yard is a fir tree, you can investigate the Balsam Fir, Fraser Fir and the Noble Fir. If your tree is a maple, look for the Silver Maple and Red Maple and if the tree at your school is an oak tree, find other types of oaks. Select three trees that you know. Make a tree poster with other types of trees that fit your three species. Show the leaves, leaf arrangement, shape of the tree and bark description. Record the scientific names for all of your trees. Scientific names for species use binomial nomenclature. Binomial nomenclature means that there are two names given. The first name is the genus name and the second name the species. The terms are usually Greek or Latin. For example, there are over 400 species of oak trees. The scientific name of the White Oak Tree is Quercus alba, where the genus Quercus is Greek for oak and the species is Latin for white.

Know your species!

What and where are extreme trees? Extreme trees are the largest trees found growing on earth, or the smallest. Investigate extreme sizes. Nominate a tree in the United States as a Champion Tree. To nominate a tree, you need to measure the trunk size, tree height and tree width. All three numbers are added together to get a total. As people nominate trees, a winner that has the highest total wins champion status. The Sequoian National Park has five of the world’s largest trees. Its largest tree is the General Sherman. To look for a champion tree nearby take a walk in the fresh air and seek out a wooded area. Be sure to take your measuring tape, a ruler and a digital camera. Once you find a large tree, measure the circumference of its trunk at 4 ½ feet above the ground. If the tree is on a slope measure the high and low side circumference and average the two. Note this dimension in your journal. To figure the width of the tree, you need to walk from the center of the tree to the furthest extended branch and or leaf. From this point walk toward the trunk to the opposite widest extension. Record this measure. Then take the narrowest tree coverage dimension by repeating this same walk under the tree coverage. Average the two numbers for your tree width. Finally, walk away from the tree until you can fit its complete height (from the point the trunk enters the ground to the highest leaf top branch in the sky). Use a ruler to calculate this dimension. For assistance look at measuring guidelines. As for the smallest trees, look into the art of Bonsai.

Take measure of your trees! Trunk Circumference (inches) + Height (feet) + ¼ Average Crown Spread (feet) = Total Points

Now that you know more about trees, consider planting a tree to befriend the earth and biodiversity of life that lives in trees! First, consider what kind of tree you would like to plant and why and where! Is it an evergreen tree that will stay green year-round and has needles? Is it a fruit tree that will bear cherries or other fruits in the summertime? Is it a shade tree to help shield your house from sunshine in the summer when it is hot and let the sun’s warmth and light into your house when it is cold in the wintertime? Consider how tall and wide the tree will grow when it reaches maturity. Then pick a site for the tree you have chosen. Make sure it has enough girth for the tree to mature. Clear the site and check to see if the soil is rich in nutrients. Have someone help you obtain and carry the tree if it is as big as a sapling (3 feet or more). Water the tree’s root ball. Dig a hole one and ½ as deep as the tree root and two to three times as wide as the tree root. Remove the sapling from any root bag that may have been applied for traveling. Place the tree in the hole in the center. Cover the roots with part of the soil you dug mixed with compost, organic peat moss, and potted plant soil up to the base of the young tree. Gently compress the soil in the hole. Place three different ropes to keep the tree growing vertically from the trunk to a peg in the ground. Have someone help you balance all three supports so it is not leaning. Water the plant regularly particularly the first growing season if it does not rain. Build a fence if you are in a deer area as they may eat its bark. Talk to your tree daily and let it know that you are thankful to have it’s shade and clean ai!