Tree Identification 101 - ISA Texas Chapter

Tree Identification 101

Pete Smith Texas Big Tree Registry Coordinator

Texas Forest Service College Station, TX psmith@tfs.tamu.edu 979-458-6650

Tree Identification 101

What is a tree?

Elbert Little, Jr. (1979): "a woody plant having one erect perennial stem or trunk at least three inches in diameter at breast height, a more or less definitely formed crown of foliage, and a height of at least 13 feet."

Benny Simpson (1988): "having a single trunk or multiple trunks, growing to 12 feet or more in height, and being definitely woody."

Merriam-Webster Online: "a woody perennial plant having a single usually elongate main stem generally with few or no branches on its lower part."

Tree Identification 101

Why are trees important to us?

Long-lived: ? African baobab may reach

6,000 years ? Bristlecone pine rings show

4,844 years

Impressive size: ? Tallest living thing (379 feet)

is a coast redwood ? `General Sherman' giant

sequoia has trunk volume of over 52,000 ft.3 Useful: ? Fuel, shelter, agriculture,..., art, culture

Tree Identification 101

How many are there?

Worldwide: as many as 100,000, which may represent up to 25% of all plants

United States: ? 826 species recognized by American Forests' National Register of Big Trees (2008) ? USDA's Checklist of U.S. Trees (1979) includes 679 native and 69 naturalized species (748)

Texas: 319 species recognized in Texas Big Tree Registry

Tree Identification 101

How do we tell them apart?

Morphology: the form, structure and configuration of an organism

Geography: the natural range of a species Genetics: new information on `relatedness' of organisms

Plant Taxonomy: a branch of science that describes, classifies, and names plants.

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