Nature · General

Tree Identification by Bark and Growth Habit

Common North American trees identified by bark texture and overall growth habit, a winter-friendly companion to the leaf shape deck.

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Pale white or cream-colored bark that peels in thin, papery sheets.
Paper birch (white birch)
Dark bark with loose, shaggy strips hanging away from the trunk.
Shagbark hickory
Light gray bark breaking into rectangular blocks or plates.
White oak
Deep furrows and ridges forming dark gray, deeply textured bark.
Sugar maple
Smoother than sugar maple, but with ridges and a lighter gray color.
Red oak
Very smooth gray bark with thin lines resembling claw marks.
American beech
Pale gray bark that flakes and peels away in irregular patches.
Silver maple
Bark with a diamond-shaped ridge pattern resembling a chain-link fence.
Ash tree
Mottled patches of white, gray, and brown bark that constantly sheds.
American sycamore (buttonwood)
Thick, deeply furrowed, blocky dark bark on a large coniferous tree.
Eastern white pine
Thin reddish-brown bark that sheds in small scales and flakes.
Larch (tamarack)
Reddish-brown bark that shreds into long, stringy fibers.
Eastern red cedar (Thuja)
Broad, spreading canopy with drooping branch tips and feathery foliage.
Eastern hemlock
Cork-like ridges or wings running along the small branches.
Winged elm (cork elm)
Very dark, deeply furrowed bark with fine ridges throughout.
Black walnut

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