NATURAL RESOURCE CLASS

1. NATURAL RESOURCECLASS TREE AND PLANT IDENTIFICATION

2. TreesImportant Terms: • Trees make up the canopy of the forest • Conifers = Softwoods = Cone-bearing Trees • Deciduous = Hardwoods = Trees that shed their leaves annually • Evergreens = Needle-bearing or Leaf-bearing trees that don’t shed their leaves annually

3. Douglas Fir Pseudotsuga menziesii Not a true fir!

4. Western Red Cedar Thuja plicata Not a Cedar but a Cypress

5. Western Hemlock Tsuga heterophylla Washington State Tree

6. Rocky Mountain Juniper Juniperous scopulorum Identified by the blue berry-like fruit

7. Sitka Spruce Picea sitchensis 3rd tallest tree in the world

8. Vine Maple Acer circinatum Commonly grows underneath taller trees

9. Bigleaf Maple Acer macrophyllum Largest leaves of any Maple

10. Red Alder Alnus rubra Largest Alder in the world…one of it’s uses is for electric guitars

11. Pacific Madrone Arbutus menziesii An evergreen tree that is deciduous, therefore hardwood

12. Ponderosa Pine Pinus ponderosa First one was discovered in 1826 around Spokane

13. Lodgepole Pine Pinus contorta So-named because American Indians used them for their teepees as they grow straight and relatively knot-free

14. Western White Pine • Pinus monticola • The needles are in bundles of 5. • 90% of these have been killed west of the Cascades by White Pine Blister Rust

15. Noble Fir Abies procera Grows in high altitudes and is a popular Christmas Tree.

16. Grand Fir Abies grandis Tolerates temperatures below -400 C Wood is used for paper and cheap construction

17. Western Larch Larix laricina A deciduous coniferous tree Is extremely cold-tolerant, surviving -650 C

18. Engelmann Spruce Picea engelmannii A high-altitude mountain tree

19. Lombardi Poplar Populus nigra ‘Italica’ Commonly used as windbreaks and ornamentals

20. Cottonwood Populus trichocarpa Named for the cotton-like substance it produces and sheds annually

21. Western Paper Birch Betula papyrifera Produces catkins

22. Oregon Ash Fraxinus latifolia The largest floweringplant in the world Louisville Slugger baseball bats are all made of ash wood (White Ash)

23. Shrubs • Shrubs are plants that grow in the understory of the forest. • Most, but not all, thrive in shaded areas • Some, such as blackberries, thrive where trees have been clear cut • Heights range from 10 ft. to 1 ft.

24. Salal Gaultheria shallon Its berries are edible. Grows both in shade and open sun areas. Florists pay huge prices for Salal to use in flower arrangements.

25. Oregon Grape Mahonia aquifolium Berries are edible Not a grape at all Its foliage is used by florists Grows 2 to 5 ft. in height

26. Evergreen Huckleberry Vaccinium ovatum Edible, tasty berries This plant is strictly native to the Northwest

27. Red Huckleberry Vaccinium parvifolium Native to the Pacific Northwest Berries are edible, but very tart

28. Pacific Rhododendron Rhododendron macrophyllum Some reach 12 ft. tall

29. Western Azalea Rhododendron tsutsusi The Azalea is in the Rhododendron family, the only difference in them is the size of the blooms

30. Pacific Serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia Often mistaken for wild blueberries Native Americans made arrow shafts from their stems

31. Pacific Dogwood Cornus nuttallii The Provincial flower of B.C.

32. Oceanspray Holodiscus discolor Found in areas prone to wildfires and is usually the first plant to grow back after a burn.

33. Wild Rose Rosa woodsii Wild roses provide food and shelter for small wildlife and birds.

34. Indian Plum Oemleria cerasiformis These produce a very small plum-like fruit that is edible. In the Pacific Northwest, these are the main plant in the understory of the forest.

35. Hazelnut Corylus avellana Very closely related to the Filbert and is concentrated in two states in the U.S. Oregon and Washington

36. Pacific Ninebark Physocarpus capitatus Mostly found in wetlands and along streams

37. Red Currant Ribes rubrum Used commonly for medicinal uses, including digestive, diuretic, and blood cleansing

38. Salmonberry Rubus spectabilis Produces yellow, red, and orange berries. Very important food for the Native Americans.

39. Red Elderberry Sambucus racemosa Although birds eat the berries, they are quite poisonous to humans when eaten raw.

40. Snowberry Symphoricarpos albus Important food for quail, pheasant, and grouse but TOXIC to humans

41. Sword Fern Polystichum munitum The favored habitat of this fern is the understory of moist coniferous forests at low elevations.

42. Bracken Fern Pteridium aquilinum Bracken Fern is great cover for small animals, such as insects, spiders, and salamanders. Old fronds bend and cover the forest floor or meadow, hiding these animals from predators.

43. Deer Fern Blechnum spicant It resembles a miniature Sword fern but smaller with rounded fronds. It gets the name Deer Fern because it provides winter forage for deer, elk, caribou, moose & bighorn sheep from the Columbia River to Alaska

44. Groundcovers • The lowest level of growth in the forest • Very important to the soil and minerals • Many of these serve as forage for small game animals • All of these serve as protection for small game animals • The first plants to thrive after a forest fire

45. Kinnickinnick Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Commonly called “bearberry” Used by Native Americans as tonics for certain ailments

46. Thimbleberry Rubus parviflorus Berries are edible Shaped like a thimble

47. Beach Strawberry Fragariachiloensis These were 1 of 2 wild varieties that were hybridized to produce the modern garden strawberry

48. Slender Wintergreen Gaultheria ovatifolia Evergreen groundcover with edible berries

49. Twinflower Linnaea borealis Notice how this plant earned its name? Grows in dense brush at most elevatons

50. Heather (Calluna) Calluna vulgaris It is a low-growing perennialshrub growing to 20 inches tall, or rarely to 39 in. Heather is a very popular ornamental plant in gardens and for landscaping.