Fortunately each tree species has distinctive characteristics to help you tell them apart.  For example, our red oaks have bristle tips on the leaves and the white oaks have rounded tips.  Learning to recognize the various characteristics of trees is a critical step in successfully identifying them.

Tree Week 2020: How to ID Trees

Tree Week: Tree ID

   

Tree ID Overview

TREE IDENTIFICATION OVERVIEW

Using a Dichotomous Key

USING A DICHOTOMOUS KEY

Leaf Characteristics

LEAF CHARACTERISTICS

Leaf Margins, Lobes & Tips

LEAF MARGINS, LOBES & TIPS

Tree Characteristics

ADDITIONAL TREE CHARACTERISTICS

Leaf Arrangement

ALTERNATE & OPPOSITE LEAF ARRANGEMENT

Compound & Simple Leaves

COMPOUND AND SIMPLE LEAVES

Winter Tree ID

Winter Tree ID