Wolbach Farm Interpretive Trail, Post 7

Upland Forest

The area along the rest of the trail back to the Wolbach Farm parking area is an upland forest, more specifically a mixed-deciduous forest. This area is home to many types of trees that survive in drier, well-drained soils.

Trees can be difficult to differentiate, especially ones within the same family. The following guide breaks down some of the major differences between species of common trees found on the property: pine trees, birch trees, and oak trees. When trying to identify a difficult species, it is important to look at all parts of the plant and to study a collection of traits, such as bark pattern, needle groupings, and bud types.

Pine Trees

In the northeast, red pine (Pinus resinosa), pitch pine (Pinus rigida), and eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) are the most common species of pine tree. Within the pine family, most of our native pine tees fall into one of two major groups: yellow pines and white pines, sometimes called hard pines and soft pines.

Red pine and pitch pine are in the yellow pine group.
Eastern white pine is in the white pine group.

Yellow Pine Group	White Pine Group
Needles in bundles of 2 or 3 Needles thicker and stiffer Twigs remain rough after needles fall Cones are broader and rounder with thick woody scales Cones not stalked Bark has broad orange plates Includes red pine and pitch pine	Needles in bundles of five Needles slender and flexible Twigs smooth after needles fall Cones narrow with flexible scales Cones stalked Bark is thin, scaly, and dark Includes eastern white pine

Photos: Red pine plantation; Pitch pine with epicormic growth; White pine.

Birch Trees

Another family of trees that you will often see on the trail is birch. Similar to pines, birches can be broken into two main groups, the white birch group, and the sweet birch group. White includes seven native trees and sweet birch includes five species.

Sweet Birch Group	White Birch Group
Dark rough bark, not peeling Short leafstalks Upright fruiting catkins Bark never white Bruised or broken twigs smell like root beer or wintergreen Includes yellow birch and sweet birch	Bark peels in papery sheets Longer leafstalks Pendent fruiting catkins on long stalks Includes paper birch and gray birch

Photos: Paper birch; Sweet birch/black birch.

Oak Trees

Oaks, which are classified under the beech family, can be categorized into three different groups: red oak group, white oak group, and the golden cup oak group. The latter, however, is native only to California and the southwest.

Although about 400 species of oaks exist worldwide, only 69 oaks grow to tree size here in North America, and even fewer are native to the northeast, with the majority of species being found in southern locations.

Red Oak Group	White Oak Group
Leaves bristle tipped with pointed lobes Acorn shells hairy inside Acorn cup scales brownish and flat Buds are larger and more pointed Bark is dark smooth or ridged, not peeling Includes northern red oak and black oak	Leaves without bristle tip, rounded lobes Acorn shells not hairy inside Acorn cup scales paler and knobby Buds smaller and blunter than red oak Bark pale, blocky, scaly, or peeling Includes eastern white oak and scrub oaks

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