Monroe EnvirothonForestry

2009

Identifying Pennsylvania

Trees

Pennsylvania Forest Stewardship

Program

Tree TypesEvergreen Deciduous

Leaf Types

Scale-likeBroad and FlatNeedles

Deciduous Leaf TypesCompoundSimple or

Leaf margins

Dentate

EntireDouble serrate

Lobed

Serrate

(smooth)

Leaf & Branch Arrangement

<Whorled

AlternateOpposite

Evergreen SpeciesEastern Hemlock

PA State Tree, Uses: Building Lumber

Eastern White Pine

5 needles in bundle>

Uses: Building Lumber, shelving, furniture, log homes

Deciduous – Opposite Branching SpeciesRed/Soft Maple

Uses: furniture, flooring, pallets

Sugar/Hard Maple

Uses: furniture, cabinets, flooring (including bowling alleys), pallets

Red MapleAcer rubrum

Sugar MapleAcer saccharum

White Ash

Uses: Baseball bats, handles, furniture, flooring, pallets

Alternate Branching SpeciesNorthern Red Oak

Uses: furniture, flooring, pallets

White Oak

Uses: furniture, barrels, flooring, pallets

White Oak Red Oak

Black Cherry

Uses: furniture, cabinets, paneling

Forest Succession & Wildlife Habitat

Forest Health Threats

Gypsy Moth Life CycleEggs/Egg Mass; 200 to 800 eggs in a egg mass Hatch: early May, timed with oak leaf-out Located on tree trunks, under branchesCaterpillar: ID: 5 pairs of blue dots & 6 pair of red dots 6 to 8 weeks, to end of June-early July 5 to 6 stages, larva instars Shed skin at each instar Most of the leaves eaten in last two instars Prefer oak, aspen, basswood, beechPupa/Cocoon: Caterpillar to moth 1 ½ to 2 weeks Reddish to black colorMoth/Adult: Male & female moths last for 1 to 2 weeks Mate, lay eggs, & die Eggs over-winter until following spring Female white and male buff colored Female moth does not fly

Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (HWA)• Non-native – native to China and Japan• First found in PA, in the late 1960s• Now has been ID’ed in 2/3 of PA Counties• Population has been very low for several years• Feeds on all hemlock varieties• A very complicated life cycle• Two generations per year but 2nd generation is inactive during the summer• Feeds by attaching itself to the base of the needle and sucking sap• Others – elongate scale, mites, drought

Forecast• Increasing again in 2006 – mild winter

Emerald Ash BorerExotic Beetle from AsiaDiscovered in Michigan in July 2002Discovered in western PA in June 2007

Adult Beetles: Metallic green wing covers – ½” to ¾” long Peak emergence – late June & early July Live for about 3 weeks – mate, lay eggs & die Feeds on the margins of ash leaves Males are smaller than females Adults are strong fliers – up to a mileEggs/Egg Mass: Female can lay 60 to 90 eggs – July/August Eggs deposited in bark crevices anywhere on the tree Eggs hatch in 7 to 10 days - AugustLarvae/Borer: Bore into tree immediately after egg hatch White grub – full grown 1” to 1 ½” long Feeds on the cambium layer between the bark & wood Only feeds on ash species Feeding is completed in autumn Over-winters in phloem/cambium layerPupation: Larva to adult beetle (pupation) occurs in April/MayDamage to tree: Feeding in the phloem/cambium layer girdles the tree Feeds on the upper branches & main stem first Trees often die after 3 to 4 years after infestation

Eastern Tent CaterpillarLife Cycle

Eggs/Egg Mass; 100 to 250 eggs in mass Hatch: end of April/early May Located on ends of branchesCaterpillar: 6 to 8 weeks, to end of June 5 stages, larva instars Shed skin at each instar Most of leaf eaten in last two instars Prefers cherry, apple, and other fruit treesPupa/Cocoon: Caterpillar to moth 1 ½ to 2 weeks White to yellowish colorMoth/Adult: Male & female for 1 to 2 weeks Mate, lay eggs, & die Eggs over-winter until following spring

Forest Tent CaterpillarLife Cycle

Eggs/Egg Mass; 100 to 250 eggs in mass Hatch: end of April/early May Located on ends of branches

Caterpillar: 6 to 8 weeks, to end of June 5 stages, larva instars Shed skin at each instar Most of leaf eaten in last two instars Prefers sugar maple, ash, aspen

Pupa/Cocoon: Caterpillar to moth 1 ½ to 2 weeks,

Moth/Adult: Male & female for 1 to 2 weeks Mate, lay eggs, & die Eggs over-winter until following spring