Tree Identification Resources for Students and Teachers How to Use the Tree Finder by May Watts

Tree identification allows you to recognize the diversity of the plants in your surrounding environments. Trees are incredibly diverse and have

unique features, shapes and textures that are interesting to discover! Use the directions below to help you identify the trees in your environment using the Tree Finder guide by May Watts.

*Note this book uses a dichotomous key in order to identify different species of trees. Dichotomous keys give you a series of choices (usually in

couplets or two lines). These choices identify the things that an organism “is” or “is not” in order to lead you to the correct species.

1. Distribute a Tree Finder to each group of students. 2. Open to page 5 and Begin in the “Start Here” section at the top of the page. 3. While looking at the tree’s leaves answer the first question and find the corresponding symbol on the correct page identified in the

question. 4. Continue to answer the questions, moving to the correct page and finding the corresponding symbols. You will need to look at the leaf’s

shape, arrangement and other distinguishing characteristics. 5. Eventually after you have answered a series of questions concerning what the leaf “is” or “is not” , you will end at the name of the tree

species. 6. Have fun and enjoy learning about all the ways that trees and their leaves contain unique and diverse features!

Other Tree Identification Resources: Online Dichotomous Tree Id through the Arbor Day Foundation: http://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/?TrackingID=908

Online Dichotomous Tree Id through the Oregon State University (mainly for coniferous trees): http://oregonstate.edu/trees/dichotomous_key.html

Online Dichotomous Tree ID Through the University of Wisconsin at Steven’s Point: http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/leaf/Pages/TreeKey/treeToIdentify.aspx?feature=Main

Common Illinois Tree Id Document from The Morton Arboretum (attached on next page)

Tree Identification Activity1

Use the following pictures to identify common urban trees. For additional tree identification

information, check out http://plants.usda.gov/java/

Species Leaf Seed Bark, Flower or Tree

American elm

Siberian elm

1 Photographs in this activity are from http://plants.usda.gov/java/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/37738527@N06/collections/

(seeds)

Hackberry

Honeylocust

Green ash

White ash

Silver maple

Sugar maple

Red maple

Black maple

Norway maple

(flower)

White oak

Swamp white oak

Red oak

Bur oak

Pin oak

Basswood

Ginkgo

Black walnut

Kentucky Coffeetree

Catalpa

Baldcypress

White Poplar

(underside of leaf)

Eastern White pine

White spruce

Blue spruce