Steve Nix is a member of the Society of American Foresters and a former forest resources analyst for the state of Alabama. Leaves are the food factories of the tree. Powered by sunlight, the green ...

Steve Nix is a member of the Society of American Foresters and a former forest resources analyst for the state of Alabama. Botanical markers and tree characteristics should be used when identifying a ...

Do you know all the trees in your yard? As leaves emerge from buds very soon, I’d challenge you to identify your trees this year. Proper identification of trees is important so we can select the best ...

Some trees, like the black walnut here, are easily identifiable by their bark. While most people think about leaves when they think about identifying trees, there are many other unique characteristics ...

Observing and identifying trees is a type of play that benefits kids in multiple ways. For starters, research has found that simply being around trees improves cognitive development and lowers the ...

A few years ago, I made a promise to myself that I would spend more time outside admiring this "nature" that everyone raves about. Quickly, I found out that there was way more to the outdoors than I ...

Despite their lack of leaves in winter, it really is not too difficult to identify most trees now. You just have to look at other characteristics, such as branching patterns, bark, overall shape, ...

For mature trees, I tend to use the overall shape and branching patterns to identify trees in winter. Sugar maple? White pine? Hemlock? I can generally identify those from a distance while in a moving ...