TREES OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, we are surrounded by several different species of trees. This picture gallery shows just 5 of the many common conifers that can be found around Oregon and Northern California. By studying the key characteristics, you can learn how to identify these unique and amazing trees!
Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
This is a Douglas Fir, Oregon's state tree. Some key characteristics include:
-Needles are about 1" long with a blunt tip
-Woody cones (3-4" long) hang down; have pitchfork-shaped bracts (look like mouse tails)
-Buds are large and pointed with reddish-brown overlapping scales
Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
This is a California Redwood, California's state tree. Some key characteristics include:
-Needles are shaped like a double-edged sword, and occur in a flat plane.
-Fruits are woody cones, made up of thick, wrinkled scales.
-Bark is reddish-brown, thick, fibrous, and deeply furrowed.
Hemlock (Tsuga)
This is a hemlock. There are two kinds of hemlock common to Oregon, the Western Hemlock and the Mountain Hemlock. Some key characteristics include:
-Short needles, generally under 1" long.
-Small, woody cones (1-3" long).
-Trees have distinctive droopy tops and branches.
Pines (Pinus)
Pines are the most common type of Conifer. Here in the Pacific Northwest, you will most often see the lodgepole pine (2 needles), the ponderosa pine (3 needles), the sugar pine (5 needles), and the white pine (5 needles). Some key characteristics include:-Long, narrow needles are bound in bundles resembling whisk brooms.
-Fruits are large, woody cones with thick, tough scales.
-Branches commonly grow in distinctive "whorls" or rings that make their trunks easy to climb (each whorl represents 1 year's growth).
Giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron)
This is a Giant Sequoia, the largest tree ever to inhabit the Earth. This species of tree is restricted to a limited area of the western Sierra Nevada, California. Some key characteristics include:-Needles are scale-like with short, thick, sharp points
-Cones are woody, egg-shaped, extremely hard, and 2-3" long
-Bark is reddish-brown, stringy, and very thick
The next time you are outside on a hike, see if you can identify some of these trees.
To learn more about trees in the Pacific Northwest, or to try out your skills using a dichotomous key, click here.
