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Identifying Kentucky’s Trees

University of KentuckyCooperative Extension Service

Department of Forestry and Natural ResourcesLaurie Thomas

White oakT. Davis Sydnor, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org

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Trees Please!!• Almost 50% of the state is forested

• 12.4 million acres• More than 120 different tree species• Use CO2 and give us O2 – clean air• Clean Water – prevent soil erosion• Habitat for wildlife• Recreation• Products - Over 2,000

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Fun Kentucky Tree Facts• The tallest champion tree in the state is

a 163 feet tall yellow-poplar in McCreary County.

• The largest recorded champion tree is a bald cypress in Ballard County that is 415 inches in circumference!

• Kentucky’s State Tree is the yellow-poplar.

• Kentucky’s State Heritage Tree is the Kentucky Coffeetree.

Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org

Paul Wray, Iowa State University, Bugwood.org

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Tree Characteristics

• Leaves • Twigs and Buds• Flowers• Fruit• Bark

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LeavesNeedles or Broadleaf

baldcypressshellbark hickory

bur oak

WARNING!!!All leaves of the same species (and even the same tree) are

NOT exactly the same!

black oak black oakblack oak

Conifers (cone bearing)1. Eastern redcedar2. Northern white cedar (arborvitae)*3. Eastern hemlock4. Baldcypress5. Eastern white pine6. Pitch pine7. Shortleaf pine8. Virginia pine9. Loblolly pine** *Rare

**Introduced

eastern hemlock

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Broadleaf “Key” Characteristics

• Leaf Arrangement• Leaf Form• Leaf Margin

Paul Wray, Iowa State University, Bugwood.org

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Importance of the Bud

• Buds are the location of NEW STEMS, FRUITS, and LEAVES.

• The bud is an undeveloped shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of the stem.

• Locating the lateral buds is critical to the identification of broadleaf trees.

Terminal bud

Lateral bud

Leaf Scar

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Leaf Arrangement

Opposite“MAD Buck”MapleAshDogwoodBuckeye

AlternateRemaining species*Whorled

*Northern catalpa

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Alternate

Opposite

Arrangement of leaves and buds

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Leaf Form

Bud

Bud

Leaflet

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Leaf Form - Simple

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Leaf Form - Compound

ufei@calpoly.edu

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Entire

(or unlobed)Lobed Serrated

Leaf Margins

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Conifer or broadleaf?

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Opposite or alternate?

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Alternate or Opposite?

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Simple or Compound?

Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org

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Leaf Margins!

Lobed or Entire?

Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org

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Is this statement True or FalseThis leaf is lobed, serrated, and compound.

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Leaf Margins!

Entire or Serrated?

Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org

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Which of the following does not fit the sequence ?

A

B

C

D

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In the process of identifying trees, there is a logical sequence to identify the tree

of interest…The “tool” that is used is a

dichotomous key• A dichotomous key is a tool that allows the user to

determine the identity of items in the natural world, such as trees, wildflowers, mammals, reptiles, rocks, and fish.

• Keys consist of a series of choices that lead the user to the correct name of a given item.

• "Dichotomous" means "divided into two parts".

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Eastern Redbud

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Dichotomous Tree Finder

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Let’s ID this tree…

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Let’s ID this tree…

Bud

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Let’s ID this tree…

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Let’s ID this tree…

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Sugar Maple

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• Native Trees of Kentucky http://www.uky.edu/hort/Native-Trees-of-Kentucky

• USDA Plants Database https://plants.usda.gov/java/

• Virginia Tech Tree ID http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/idit.htm

• Arbor Day Tree Identification https://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/

• U.K. Department of Forestry Tree ID Videos http://forestry.ca.uky.edu/tree_id_videos

Tree ID Resources

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• Tree Finder– by May Theilgarrd Watts

• Winter Tree Finder– by May Theilgarrd Watts and Tom Watts

• FOR 1: Kentucky Forest Trees: How to Know Them– By Deborah B. Hill and Diana L. Olszowy

• Trees and Shrubs of Kentucky– Mary E. Wharton & Roger W. Barbour

• North American Trees (5th Edition)– Richard J. Preston, Jr. and Richard R. Braham

Tree ID Resources

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Let’s Id Some Trees!