Download IDENTIFYING Common Trees of METRO ATLANTA

IDENTIFYING COMMON
TREES OF METRO ATLANTA
BY: GARY PEIFFER, DEKALB EXTENSION, 2013
REVIEW:
• WHAT FEATURES/CHARACTERISTICS ARE USEFUL FOR
QUICK TREE IDENTIFICATION?:
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Leaves – form, arrangement, fall color, etc.
Flowers – time of year, color, arrangement, etc.
Twig characteristics – buds, leaf scars, etc.
Seeds and/or Fruit
Tree form and size
Location for natural or non-planted species
Bark
OTHERS: ???
PICK ONE OR TWO CHARACTERISTICS THAT
STICK OUT OR MAYBE THAT YOU CAN
REMEMBER – OH YEAH, THAT’S WHAT IT IS?
Best or easiest characteristic (s) to use?
Best characteristics to use for this one?
Which characteristics?
Characteristics for this one?
Characteristics?
Oaks alone include 35 species in
Georgia! Can you identify them all?
Sub Groups:
Red Oaks – pointed tips at the ends of their leaf lobes.
Red also is supposed to refer to the color of their wood
and in most cases their fall leaf color.
Examples: Northern Red, Southern Red, Shumard,
Pin, Willow, Live Oak, Cherrybark, etc.
White Oaks – rounded tips at ends of leaf lobes. Fall
color varies but interior wood is whiter in color.
Examples: White, Swamp Chestnut, Chestnut,
Chinkapin, Bur Oak, Post Oak and Overcup Oak.
Another difference for these is the location of buds
on dormant twigs!
EVERGREEN TREE SPECIES –
COMMONLY SEEN!
NOT ALL EVERGREENS ARE CONIFERS!
Unfortunately we can not cover all common
trees of Metro Atlanta & Georgia!
There are over 100 native tree species and
many more introduced just in the Metro area.
If you learn these and you use the ID
characteristics Rick Barnes talked about, you
can easily learn to identify 100 or more local
tree species.
Sources of Information:
Local Extension Offices:
DeKalb 404-298-4080
www.ugaextension.com/dekalb
Cobb 770-528-4070
Fulton 404-613-7670
404-762-4077
Gwinnett 678-377-4010
Clayton 770-473-3945
UGA Website:
www.caes.uga.edu/publications
Warnell Sch. of Forest Resources: www.warnell.uga.edu