Sapling identification

Identifying saplings is a great way to learn about the forest around you.

It’s important to identify young trees, called saplings, because they will one day become the forest of your area. Knowing what saplings are growing around you can help you plan for the future of your landscape.

To identify a sapling, follow these simple steps:

Look at the shape and size of any leaves or needles on it. Are they small and single? Large and in pairs? Take note!
If it has buds, take a look at their shape and size as well. Is it short and fat? Long and thin? Write down what you see!
If possible, take a note of its bark type: smooth or rough textured? Flaky or bumpy? Document this as well!
Once you’ve taken notes about the physical features of your sapling, compare them to similar photos online until you find something that matches! If none do, do some research about distinguishing characteristics of trees native to your region!

Your local weather conditions should be taken into account.

When you’re thinking about planting a tree, the weather conditions in your area should be taken into account. You can’t plant just any tree in any place and expect it to thrive. Trees are just like people: if you put them in the wrong climate, they’ll be stressed out and unhappy.

Consider whether your area is generally dry or wet, hot or cold, and there are seasonal variations that could cause significant changes in temperature throughout the year. Some trees go dormant during the colder months; others might wither up if they get too hot. In general, trees don’t like changes to their environment and will do best when they have a lot of consistency and comfort around them.

Seek out saplings that have the same growth characteristics as their parents.

As you walk through a forest and observe various species of trees, it may seem like every tree is different than the next. But as you become familiar with specific species, you’ll start to notice similarities that help you identify trees more easily. In this section we’ll discuss one way to do this: seeking out saplings that have the same growth characteristics as their parents.

An example of what we’re talking about can be found near the entrance to our newest trail, where a pair of trees are growing in close proximity. The smaller one is a young maple while the larger, older tree is a white pine. Although they don’t appear similar at first glance, when you look closer at the young maple, you can see its branches growing upward much like those on its parent nearby. You might also notice how both trees have reddish-brown bark that looks similar at first glance but actually has very different texture when you feel it up close (the maple will be furrowed while the pine will be flaky). Both also have leaves with 5 lobes that grow in pairs along opposite sides of each branch.

Look at bark, leaf, and fruit characteristics to help with identification.

Bark:

When trees are not in leaf or fruit, bark characteristics can be used to identify them. Some of the most distinctive tree barks include:

Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) has big, irregular ridges and furrows.
Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera) bark has vertical grooves in young trees, but as it matures, this develops into a very distinctive pattern of interlacing ridges and diamond shapes.
Red maple (Acer rubrum) has shallow scaly fissures that are hairless and red. The inner bark is also reddish. If a tree has similar looking bark but the inner bark is white or cream colored, you have Silver maple (Acer saccharinum). This one also has deeply cut leaves with five lobes compared to the three lobes of Red Maple leaves.

Look at leaf characteristics such as shape, color and texture to help identify species when they are present on the tree. For example the leaves of dogwoods don’t look like other deciduous leaves because they are opposite each other instead of alternate along the stem. The lobed leaves of maples will be easy to spot as well because they’re quite different from most others too!