Bark Variations With Age
Beech bark is smooth and gray, but develops shallow horizontal grooves with age.
The bark of a beech tree is smooth and gray when young, but with age it develops shallow horizontal grooves. These grooves are very shallow, so they may be hard to notice.
You can identify a beech tree by looking for horizontal grooves on the trunk.
Red oak bark is light gray or light brown and develops furrows as it ages.
- *Red oak bark* is light gray or light brown and develops furrows as it ages. The furrows become deeper with age. The furrowed patches are separated by ridges that run up and down the tree’s trunk, forming plate-like structure. The outer surface of red oak bark may flake off in small pieces as the tree matures.
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Birch bark ranges from white, to red-brown or black and has characteristic horizontal lenticels.
When you see horizontal lenticels in the bark of a birch tree, you’ll know it’s a birch tree. Lenticels are small pores that allow the tree to take in gases. They’re found on many plants and trees, but they’re characteristic features of birch bark.
Birch bark ranges from white, to red-brown or black. The color of the bark depends on several factors including age, soil nutrients and geography.
Maple bark is grayish brown, but may become darker with age.
- Remember, maple bark tends to darken with age.*
This is a big one, so it’s important to get it right the first time. Just remember: maple bark is grayish brown and has many short ridges. Maple bark can be smooth or may peel away in sheets.
Crab-apple bark ranges from yellowish-brown to dark red-brown and develops shallow ridges as it ages.
Crab-apple bark ranges from yellowish-brown to dark red-brown and develops shallow ridges as it ages. The bark may also have small, round, wart-like protrusions.
Cherry bark is grayish-brown, with numerous vertical cracks and irregular fissures.
Cherry bark is grayish-brown, with numerous vertical cracks and irregular fissures. The color of the bark changes with age, being darker on older stems and branches. The color of the bark also varies depending on the location, being darker in sunny spots and lighter in shady areas.
Hickory bark is grayish brown, with many short ridges and slightly scaly vertical patches that may peel away in sheets.
Hickory bark is grayish brown, with many short ridges and slightly scaly vertical patches that may peel away in sheets. Hickories are members of the walnut family. Their dense wood burns slowly and hot, making it prized for smoking meats. Some common hickory tree species include shagbark, shellbark and bitternut hickory. It will only take a few seconds to collect the bark you need from a mature tree.
Harvesting the bark
1 Collect the bark during the spring or summer when it is young and green. In most cases, this means carefully peeling away strips of bark less than 1/4 inch thick from live trees or branches that have fallen to the ground; foraging for large pieces on older trees is best accomplished by following squirrels or chipmunks to their caches of nuts.
Red bud bark is smooth, purple to reddish brown in color, but becomes rougher with age.
Red bud bark is smooth, purple to reddish brown in color, but becomes rougher with age.
The bark of the sycamore tree has a distinct scaly pattern that separates it from other trees. The bark is tan and darkens with time. Young sycamore trees have smooth, light gray bark that can be distinguished by multiple vertical fissures. The bark of older trees turns darker grey and develops deep cracks which widen as the tree ages.
Tree bark changes as the tree gets older.
Did you know that bark is the outer covering of a tree’s trunk and branches? This protective layer protects the tree from environmental factors, including temperature extremes and pests. Bark also helps the tree to retain moisture. As a tree grows older it becomes larger in girth, which means more layers of bark are added. As more bark is added, it may crack and fissure.