Tennessee Hardwood Trees

Elm genus ulmus.

Tennessee hardwood trees.

Much of middle tennessee was covered with a great virgin hardwood forest when it was first settled. Ash genus fraxinus. Check the following guides to find the trees most likely to be encountered on any given site in tennessee. Black walnut butternut genus juglans.

Cottonwood genus populus. Some river and creek bottoms were choked with canebrakes. Beech genus fagus. While some areas contained natural barrens or grass lands the land that was forested showed an amazing variety of trees and bushes.

For this guide we have chosen some of the trees commonly found on the trails at the arboretum. A to z list by scientific name pine pincaceae pine pinus spruce picea larches tamaracks larix hemlocks tsuga douglas firs and true firs pseudotsuga and abies. The blend of the soil s minerals and nutrients the amount of rainfall and the stable rotation of seasons assist in gradual growth and contribute to a superior quality of lumber. The value to landowners of these pine plantings 11 000 acres when mature is conservatively estimated to be over 22 million in current dollars.

Welcome to the university of tennessee arboretum tree identification guide. Oaks maples birches and fruit trees are examples of hardwood trees. Red oak southern red oak southern red oak is one of tennessee s most common trees. Examples of softwoods include pines spruces firs and hemlocks.

Softwood trees are conifers evergreens have needles or scale like foliage and are not deciduous. Most important being streamside buffers and wildlife habitat. Trees likely to be found growing on well drained land ash beech black cherry black oak black walnut blackgum. If you would like to know the common name scientific name or characteristics of a tree at the arboretum but you only know the shape of the leaf perhaps this guide will.

Many more exist that are seldom used. Black cherry genus prunus. Hickory genus carya. Trees are most likely to be encountered in different parts of tennessee and on given sites can help speed up proper identification.

Most of the hardwood plantings 3 400 acres will be tailored to provide environmental benefits. Birch genus betula. Oaks maples dogwood yellow poplar and oth ers are common. Softwoods are gymnosperms meaning they do not have flowers and use cones for seed reproduction.

Basswood genus tilia. Common north american hardwood list. Hackberry genus celtis. It s the natural conditions of middle tennessee that grow these hardwoods to set the standards for strength and beauty.

Tree families in tennessee are. The bark is very rough but thin less than thick.