Do You Know Your Trees?
Part of the enjoyment of hiking in the Cascades is the pleasure and experience of the natural beauty of the forests. But do you know the trees you are hiking amongst? Cursor over an image and see if you've correctly identified the tree species.
Each image shows samples of foliages, cones, bark and the generalized location where the species can be typically located.
Each image shows samples of foliages, cones, bark and the generalized location where the species can be typically located.
Clusters or bundles of 2-5 needles and evergreen? Probably a pine.
Lodgepole Pine; Ponderosa Pine; Western White Pine; Whitebark Pine
Single needles directly attached to the stem? Most likely a member of the spruce, fir, or hemlock family.
Needles that are 4-sided or diamond shaped in cross section and are attached to the twig with wooden pegs? If so you probably have a spruce!Sitka Spruce; Engelmann Spruce
Needles that are are attached to the twig with suction cups (no pegs or stalks)? If so you probably have a fir!Pacific Silver Fir; Grand Fir; Noble Fir; SubAlpine Fir
Needles that are flattened and attached to the twig with leaf stalks or stems? You either have a Hemlock or Douglas-Fir.
Needles that are yellow-green to blue-green, 3/4 to 1 1/4 inch long, very fragrant where needle tips are blunt or slightly rounded? If so you probably have a Douglas-Fir!
Needles wider, rounded at ends, green in color, with two white lines on the under surface? If so you probably have a hemlock!
Mountain Hemlock; Western Hemlock
Scale-like leaf? You have either a cedar, cypress or juniper.
Alaska Cedar; Incense Cedar; Port Orford Cedar; True Cedar; Western Red Cedar
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