North American Trees

Let’s look at some of the most common North American Trees:

Redwood: Redwoods, or Sequoia sempervirens, which belong to the Cypress family, are the last surviving trees from their genus, Sequoia in the cypress family Cupressaceae. They are commonly known as the California Redwood or the Coast Redwood. The redwoods are amongst the tallest trees in the world, measuring over 380 feet (equivalent of 38 storey) and are about 26 -30 feet in diameter. Redwoods are evergreen trees as they maintain their foliage throughout the year, irrespective of the season. They are mostly found in coastal California and southwest Oregon.

Pines: the Pine tree belongs to the genus Pinus and the family Pinaceae. There are over 115 different species of pine across the world. Pine trees are commonly found in only in the Northern hemisphere and are very common to North America. Pine trees are evergreen trees and are resinous in nature. The lumber of pine tree is commonly used in building structures and furniture and the wood pulp is commonly used for making paper.

Cedar: the Cedar tree is a coniferous tree from the family Pinaceae. They are typically conical in shape and are closely related to firs. The most common types of cedar trees in North America are Port-Orford cedar, Alaska cedar and Eastern Redcedar. The leaves of the cedar tree are usually scale-like and are decussate in nature. Their bark is usually vertically furrowed and is constantly peeling. It is also usually reddish in color.

Oak: Oak is a commonly used name for over 400 different species of trees and shrubs that belong to the genus Quercus. The term Quercus is a Latin term, meaning oak tree. Oaks are commonly found in the Northern hemisphere. Oaks usually have leaves that are spirally arranged and many species have a leaves with a lobed margin. The flowers which appear in spring are called catkins and the fruit is called acorn. The most common species of oak that are found in North America include Black Oak, Bur Oak, Cherrybark Oak, Laurel oak, Oregon white oak, Post oak, Pin oak, Northern red oak, Scarlet oak and Southern red oak.

Poplar: Poplar trees belong to the Salicaceae family. Four primary species of cottonwood and an aspen form the poplars commonly found in North America. The aspen is most prolific in North America compared to any other region in the world. The Eastern Cottonwood is one of the largest trees in North America. Apart from the Eastern Cottonwood, the other tree species that form the poplars are Balsam poplar, Quaking Aspen and Black Cottonwood.

Red Alder: Red Alder, Alnus Rubra, is one of the most common hardwood trees found in North America. The Red Alder is commonly known by various names including Oregon alder, western alder, and Pacific coast alder. The Red Alder tends to grow very rapidly when it is young, but it does not have a very long lifespan. It also needs very specific climatic conditions, without which it will quickly wither away.