4 Cornell Junior Extension Bulletin 26 



In order to assist boys and girls in becoming better acquainted with 

 the forest trees of their neighborhood, this bulletin lias been prepared. 

 There are probably a hundred distinct varieties of trees native to the 

 State, but some of them arc so small that they are in this State scarcely 

 more than shrubs and do not deserve to be classed ;is trees. In such a 

 group are the alder, the pussy willow, and the witch-hazel. Still other 

 varieties, while of real forest-tree size, are confined to very limited lo- 

 calities, such as the willow oak and the sweet gum on Long Island. No 

 attempt has been made, therefore, to provide an all-inclusive list of trees 

 in this publication 1 , but rather to pick out and to describe the commoner 

 trees that are generally distributed throughout the State and that are 

 likely to be found in the average woodlot. 



With this bulletin as a guide, it should be possible for every boy and 

 girl electing the forestry projects to become familiar with all the forest 

 trees in their neighborhood. As future woodland owners, this basic 

 knowledge of the trees of the forest will put them in a position to cut 

 wisely and well in bringing about better forests. 



HOW TO USE THE BULLETIN 



The place, of course, to study the trees is in the woods. Take this 

 publication along with you, look for the characters — bark, twigs, buds, 

 leaves, and fruit. Compare the actual specimens with the outline draw- 

 ings to see Iioav they agree. 



Pay considerable attention to the bark. It is always present, summer 

 and winter, and even in the log you can tell the tree if you know the 

 bark. Keep in mind the points mentioned in the text, such as color, 

 and texture, whether smooth or furrowed, scaly or firm. 



The twigs are interesting to study in the winter time. They, too, vary 

 in color; some are brittle, while others are equally tough and pliable; 

 some are slender, while others are coarse. A taste of the twig will often 

 help, as in the case of the cherries or the black birch. 



The buds go along with the twigs as part of the winter study of the 

 trees. It frequently may be important to be able to recognize a forest 

 seedling in the early spring before the leaves are out. Particularly is 

 this true in case you wanted to transplant the seedling or if it were a 

 valuable forest tree, like a sugar maple, and it was desired to cut around 

 it and give it more light. In such instances the buds are a very helpful 

 means of identification. You will note in the text that all deciduous- 

 leaved trees are listed as having either a terminal bud present or absent. 



".For complete study of the trees of New York State, the reader is referred to Trees 

 of Nev York tituli;, Not in and Naturalized by II. P. Brown, New York State College 

 of Forestry, Syracuse, New York. Technical publication 15. 1925. 



