Top 5 Trees to ID in Winter

In the spring or summer, it’s relatively easy to distinguish a maple tree from, say, a beech. But once the leaves disappear, that task becomes somewhat more challenging. So how do you identify trees in the winter? Tia Pinney, a Drumlin Farm teacher and naturalist extraordinaire, offers a few tricks of the trade.

Image courtesy The Sibley Guide to Trees

Red Maple Acer rubrum

What: Often referred to as swamp maple because of its love for a wet environment, this medium-sized, relatively fast growing hardwood tree is a favorite of landscapers who covet its flaming red leaves in the fall.

Winter ID Tip: It may have red twigs and prominent red buds, but this variety of maple features a silvery grey bark that's smooth as a sapling but develops long narrow plates when mature. Don't confuse this tree with its cousin, the silver maple, which has silvery lines on the backs of its leaves and twigs that have a fetid odor when broken.

Fast Fact: It's one of the most abundant and widespread hardwood trees in North America.

Image courtesy The Sibley Guide to Trees

Black Cherry Prunus serotina

What: Found in sunny spots along forest edges or hedgerows, the black cherry produces a reddish wood that's prized by furniture makers.

Winter ID Tip: On a mature tree, its scaly bark looks like burnt potato chips, while its broken twigs have a distinctive burnt almond odor. They're a favorite of tent caterpillars, which weave their grayish white tent-like webs in the angles of a branch.

Fast Fact: You rarely will get a chance to see the fruit of a black cherry; robins, bluebirds, woodpeckers, bobwhites, and even turkeys snatch up the cherries as soon as they become available.

Image courtesy The Sibley Guide to Trees

Shagbark Hickory Carya ovata

What: One of 11 hickory species found in North America, this medium-to large tree is slow growing and sparsely distributed.

Winter ID Tip: They don't call it shagbark for nothing. The bark is unmistakable—with long, curling, gray shaggy strips that seem to be peeling off the trunk.

Fast Fact: A close relative of the pecan tree, the shagbark hickory produces a similar edible, sweet nut that's eaten by wildlife and people, though it's not sold commercially.

Image courtesy The Sibley Guide to Trees

American Beech Fagus grandifolia

What: The most northerly nut-producing species, the American beech is an important food source for many mammals and birds. Its wood is strong and dense with many uses including flooring and furniture.

Winter ID Tip: Its leaves die, but they don't necessarily fall. Throughout the winter, look for pale, tea-colored leaves on slender zigzag twigs. Also its smooth light gray bark on a short trunk is distinctive for its plainness—no rough ridges and scales.

Fast Fact: It’s a very large and long-lived tree; some can live to be as old as 300 to 400 years.

Image courtesy The Sibley Guide to Trees

Sassafras Sassafras albidum

What: A small-to-medium sun-loving tree with contorted branches, the sassafras has a long history of being used for medicinal purposes.

Winter ID Tip: The best tool to ID a Sassafras tree in winter? Your nose. When you scratch the surface of a twig, a very distinctive, aromatic, citrusy smell is released. Saplings and twigs have a smooth green-reddish bark while mature trunks have deeply furrowed, brown bark.

Fast Fact: Sassafras roots provided flavoring for root beer until the 60s when certain compounds in the roots were found to be carcinogenic. Aromatic oils from the roots and bark are still used in cosmetics today.