North Woods Field Guides PO Box 107 Wevertown
Coniferous
Trees of the North Woods
Jack
Pine~ Pitch Pine~
Red Pine~ Scotch Pine~
White Pine~
Black Spruce~
Norway Spruce~ Red Spruce~
White Spruce~
Red Cedar~ White
Cedar~ Balsam Fir~
Tamarack~
Hemlock
Jack Pine
| Height~ |
Up to 70 feet tall. |
| Needles~ |
In groups of two, 3/4-1 1/2 inches long.
Needles are curved and form a distinct "V" shape. Dark
green in color and stiff not flexible. |
| Cones~ |
1 1/2-2 inches long, curved and usually
pointing toward the branch. |
| Bark~ |
Dark brown with a reddish tint, thin and
scaly. |
Pitch Pine
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| Height~ |
Up to 60 feet tall. |
| Needles~ |
In groups three, 3-5 inches long. Yellow
green in color and stiff, not flexible |
| Cones~ |
2-3 inches long hanging at right
angle to the branch. |
| Bark~ |
Reddish/brown with deep fissures and broad
flat ridges. |
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Red Pine
| Height~ |
Up to 90 feet tall. |
| Needles~ |
In groups of two, 5-6 inches long. Dark
green in color and flexible. |
| Cones~ |
2-3 inches long, conical in shape. |
| Bark~ |
Reddish/brown, thick with shallow fissures
and broad flat ridges. |
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Scotch Pine
| Height~ |
Up to 60 feet tall. |
| Needles~ |
In groups of two, twisted in shape. 1
1/2-3 inches long, bluish/green in color and stiff not
flexible. |
| Cones~ |
1 1/2-2 inches long. |
| Bark~ |
Reddish/orangish brown in new growth.
Grayish brown and scaly on old growth. |
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White Pine
| Height~ |
Up to 100 feet tall. |
| Needles~ |
In groups of five, 3-5 inches long. 3
sided, soft and flexible, bluish green in color. |
| Cones~ |
5-10 inches long, oblong in shape and
drooping from the branch. |
| Bark~ |
Dark gray/brown with shallow fissures and
broad flat ridges. |
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Black Spruce
| Height~ |
Up to 60 feet tall. |
| Needles~ |
1/2 inch long, silvery/bluish green in
color and 4 sided. |
| Cones~ |
Purple/brown color up to 1 1/2 inches
long. |
| Bark~ |
Grayish/brown color, thin and scaly |
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Norway Spruce
| Height~ |
Up to 60 feet tall. |
| Needles~ |
1-1 1/2 inches long, 4 sided, dark
yellow/green in color. Branchlets and twigs droop from
the main branch. |
| Cones~ |
6-7 inches long |
| Bark~ |
Grayish/brown with thick large flaky
scales. |
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Red Spruce
| Height~ |
Up to 80 feet tall. |
| Needles~ |
1/2 inch long, silvery/bluish green in
color, 4 sided. |
| Cones~ |
Purple/brown in color, up to 1 1/2 inches
long. |
| Bark~ |
Grayish/brown in color, thin and scaly. |
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White Spruce
| Height~ |
Up to 70 feet tall. |
| Needles~ |
Blue/green in color up to 1 inch long and
4 sided. |
| Cones~ |
1 1/2 inches long. Very similar to Red
spruce but needles and cones are slightly larger. White
Spruce twigs and buds are hairless while Red Spruce
twigs and buds are usually hairy. |
| Bark~ |
Gray/brown in color with thin plate like
scales. |
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Red Cedar
| Height~ |
Up to 40 feet tall. |
| Needles/leaves~ |
Flattened scale like against twig. Light
green in color up to 3/4 of an inch long. |
| Cones~ |
Berry like cones bluish in color 1/4 inch
in diameter. |
| Bark~ |
Reddish/brown in color and shreddy in
appearance. Red Cedar usually has many branching trunks. |
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White Cedar
| Height~ |
Up to 60 feet tall. |
|
Needles/leaves~ |
Scale like leaves overlapping and tightly
grouped on the twig. Yellowish/green in color up to 1/4
inch long. |
| Cones~ |
1/2 inch long, woody not berry like as in
Red Cedar. The small cones are erect on the branch and
not drooping. |
| Bark~ |
Reddish/brown and shreddy in appearance. |
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Balsam Fir
| Height~ |
Up to 60 feet tall. |
| Needles~ |
Flat and narrow up to 1 inch long and
rounded at the tip. Dark blue/green in color above and
paler below. Underside of needle has two white lines
running the length of the needle as in Hemlock. Crushed
needles very aromatic. |
| Cones~ |
Purple in color pointing upward from
branch. |
| Bark~ |
Gray/brown in color, smooth and marked
with raised cysts. |
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Tamarack
| Height~ |
Up to 60 feet tall. |
| Needles~ |
1/2 inch long in random clusters along the
branch. Needles yellow in the fall and being shed from
the tree entirely. The only eastern conifer to shed it's
needles completely each season. |
| Cones~ |
1/2-3/4 inches long. |
| Bark~ |
Thin reddish/brown and scaly. |
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Hemlock
| Height~ |
Up to 70 feet tall. |
| Needles~ |
3/8 inches long and 1/8 inch wide, flat
and rounded at the tip. Dark green above and paler below
with two white lines running the length each needle. |
| Cones~ |
1/2-3/4 of an inch long. |
| Bark~ |
Reddish/Grayish brown with fissures and
broad ridges. |
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calculator.
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