Day 153: Here in the Pacific Northwest, our lower forests tend to be "mixed" stands of evergreens with the occasional incursion of deciduous trees like Red Alder or Cottonwood following stream channels or populating wetlands. Cedar is easy to identify, as is Hemlock, but things get a little stickier when it comes to telling Sitka Spruce from Douglas Fir, especially when the trees are young and no cones are available for analysis. The easiest way to tell them apart is to compare cross-sections of a needle. Fir needles are flat, and spruce needles are square. A fir needle will not roll between your finger and thumb, but a spruce needle will. Spruce needles are stiffer and the ends feel sharp. Fir needles are more flexible and the ends are blunt. This baby Doug (Pseudotsuga menziesii) has found a wonderful moss-covered "nurse" to nurture it to adulthood.
Can you recommend a good book on trees?
ReplyDeleteNot at present, no...but Mark Turner (author of "Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest") was hoping to have one published some time this year. I don't know the status. If it is as thorough as "Wildflowers," it will be a must-have.
ReplyDeleteI did some checking. Mark Turner's tree field guide is slated for release in early June. It is called "Trees and Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest." You can pre-order through Amazon.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I will to do that.
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