Forestry By: Megan Topping

Eastern Hemlock Tsuga canadensis Eastern Hemlocks are capable to reach up to 140 ft in the air. They were used for construction timber and tannic acid for tanning leather to Pennsylvania's economy. They are found in cool, moist woods throughout Pennsylvania. Eastern hemlock is the official state tree of Pennsylvania.

Red Pine Pinus resinosa The Red Pine prospers on poor, sandy soils as well as in upland bogs. Its resinous wood is very durable and used for railroad ties, sills of houses and barns and fuel.

Norway Spruce Picea abies The Norway Spruce is located in the northern part of the State, its wood is used chiefly for construction lumber and pulp. Red pine is native to dry slopes in Luzerne, Wyoming, Tioga, and Centre counties and planted extensively by the Bureau of Forestry and the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

White Oak Quercus alba The White Oak is a dominant forest tree on dry to moist sites throughout the Commonwealth usually reaching 80'-100' high. White oaks live 400 years or more.

Chestnut Oak Quercus prinus The Chestnut Oak is also called Rock oak and Basket oak. This tree grows to 80' on dry slopesand ridgetops throughout Pennsylvania. The bark is very rich in tannin and the wood heavy and strong. It is used for furniture, flooring, millwork, and railroad ties.

Scarlet Oak Quercus coccinea The Scarlet Oak is a medium to large sized tree to 80', of dry upland sites and many parks and streets.

Sugar Maple Acer saccharum The Sugar Maple, also called Rock maple, is known for its hard wood. This important timber tree is found on moist wooded slopes throughout Pennsylvania, typically reaching 90‘ high. Sugar maple wood is used for furniture, musical instruments and flooring and the sap is tapped for maple syrup production.

Red Maple Acer rubrum Red Maple is the most abundant tree in Pennsylvania growing in a wide variety of habitats, typically reaching 80-100' high. It grows best in wet soils. It is known as soft maple because its wood is not as hard as Sugar maple, this is an excellent ornamental tree.

Paper Birch Betula papyrifera The Paper Birch is a large tree that can grow up to 50'-75' high on upland woods and slopes in northcentral and northeastern Pennsylvania. This tree prefers moist soils.

White Ash Fraxinus americana White ash is the most common ash on PA. It is a large tree, often 80' high or more with a long straight trunk, widespread on rich soils except in the mountains. The wood of both species is used for sporting goods (especially baseball bats), handles, agricultural tools, and furniture.

Black Ash Flaxinus nigra Black ash inhabits cold swamps statewide. Also called black tupelo or sourgum, this is usually a medium sized tree on dry slopes and ridgetops, but it can reach over 80' and 5' in diameter in moist areas along streams. Most common in the southeast and southcentral portions of the state it is rarer in the northern tier counties. The wood is difficult to split and is used for boxes, fuel and railroad ties.

Tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera The Tuliptree is also known as Yellow poplar, Tulip poplar, White poplar and Whitewood. A large tree to 140', the tallest of the eastern hardwoods. It grows rapidly and is an important timber and shade tree. The wood is valuable for veneer and many other uses.

Black Willow The Black Willow is the largest of our native willows, typically reaching 60' in height. Found on streambanks and in wet meadows throughout Pennsylvania, it is most common in the east and south.

Black Gum Nyssa sylvatica The Black Gum also called black tupelo or sourgum, is usually a medium sized tree on dry slopes and ridgetops, but it can reach over 80' and 5' in diameter in moist areas along streams.

Common Sassafras Sassifras albidium The Common Sassafras is a small to medium-sized tree, up to 60' high but usually smaller, with crooked branches, often spreading by root suckers. Its roots, leaves, twigs and fruit have a spicy odor. The oil, once used for flavoring and medicine, may promote cancer.

Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida The Flowering Dogwood is a small native tree growing to 30' with low spreading crown adapted to life in the shade of maples, oaks and hickories. Its extremely hard wood was used primarily for textile weaving shuttles, wheel hubs and bearings. Most people use them for ornamental decorations for their red, white, or pink flowers that blossom beautifully.

Pin Oak Quercus palustris Pin Oaks are typically found in wet sites growing 60' to 80' high across the southeastern, south-central and western Pennsylvania. It is often planted as a street tree because of its beautiful form and ability to withstand poor urban soils.

Red Oak Quercus rubra The Northern Red Oak is a common dominant forest tree throughout the state growing to 100' or more in moist to dry soils.

Pitch Pine Pinus rigida Pitch Pine, like White pine, is a medium to large-sized tree develops one horizontal whorl of side branches each year, growing up to 110 feet. A valuable timber tree in the northern part of the State, its wood is used chiefly for construction lumber and pulp. Red pine is native to dry slopes in Luzerne, Wyoming, Tioga, and Centre counties and planted extensively by the Bureau of Forestry and the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

White Pine Pinus strobus White Pines at present they usually reach 50'-90‘ high but the original "Penn's Woods" saw white pines reaching 170' and more. It is one of the most valuable timber trees, found in moist or dry woodlands throughout the state and often planted as an ornamental in large open areas.

Growth and Life Cycle of a Tree The easiest way to find out information on a trees life cycle is by looking at its tree rings. You can tell a lot about what a tree endured and how long it lived for by looking at this. Like most things, trees need the basic necessities to grow. They need water, good soil, nutrients, and food; which in this case would be from photosynthesis.

Anatomy of a Tree The outer bark is the tree's protection from the outside world. The inner bark, or "phloem", is pipeline through which food is passed to the rest of the tree. C. The cambium cell layer is the growing part of the trunk. D. Sapwood is the tree's pipeline for water moving up to the leaves. E. Heartwood is the central, supporting pillar of the tree. Although dead, it will not decay or lose strength while the outer layers are intact.

Citations http://www.envirothonpa.org/documents/1-6_AnatomyofaTree.pdf http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd1/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_003489.pdf http://www.envirothonpa.org/StationTraining2.html?tab=1#TabbedPanels1 http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd1/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_003489.pdf http://www.envirothonpa.org/documents/Treerings.pdf