Spring has arrived in Northern Wisconsin, and pretty soon the leaves will be emerging, greening up the Northwoods! There are many tools to help us become experts at identifying trees. I’ll share some of my favorite tools and resources.
If you’re new to tree identification or just getting started, don’t worry. I have an easy guide with basic terminology for identifying trees: https://www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/leaf/Documents/7-8%20Tree%20ID%20Terms%202012.pdf This is a document from UW-Stevens Point LEAF program.
LEAF is a Forestry Education Program and they have an excellent online Dichotomous Tree ID tool: https://www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/leaf/Pages/TreeKey/treeToIdentify.aspx to easily and quickly identify the tree. To identify trees by twigs, especially in winter, you can also use LEAF’s Winter Tree ID Key: https://www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/leaf/Documents/LEAFWinterTreeIDKey.pdf
If you’re out in the woods, there’s an app for that too. You can download the Leafsnap App for your Iphone, Ipad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/leafsnap-plant-identification/id1487972880 or Android device https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=plant.identification.snap&hl=en_US
Conservation Corner is a weekly article produced by the Forest County Land & Water Conservation Department. For more information contact Steve Kircher, County Conservationist-Land Information/GIS Director at 715-478-1387 or by e-mail at .