How to Identify Different Trees in Michigan
As you all know, Michigan is a place full of many different types of trees. It is undoubtedly one of the perfect states for people who are fond of trees. Moreover, they are not just limited to a small number of tree types. There are various tree types that populate inside the state of Michigan. In fact, there are so many that you might have a hard time with tree identification in that place. Having said that, it’s surely not surprising to find out that there are a number of trees native to Michigan. With that, here are some of the trees that you will most likely spot in Michigan and how you can identify them.
Beech Tree
American Beech trees can commonly grow and be found inside the beach-maple forest and hemlock-northern hardwood forest. The easiest recognizable feature of a Beech tree is its thin gray bark. The surface of the bark of a Beech tree is smooth, and some people even engrave writings on it. The leaves of the tree are oval-shaped with toothed edges and a pointed tip.
Hemlock Tree
Another tree that you might see in Michigan is the Eastern Hemlock tree, which is a coniferous type of tree. The first thing that you will most likely observe in this tree is the height. A mature hemlock tree is shaped like a pyramid that can grow around 70 up to 100 feet. This kind of tree can is usually located on hills and in small groups. The bark of this tree is very thick and has a color of red-brown. You might also find a small seed cone on this tree.
Paper Birch Tree
The Paper Birch tree is highly present in Michigan. You can easily find this type of tree in any part of Michigan. The leaves of this tree also have the same characteristic as the leaves of a Beech tree. The easiest identifiable feature of this tree is its white-colored bark that looks like paper, hence, the name. During the fall season, its leaves will start to turn their color into yellow and fall to the ground. While during the spring season, the tree starts to create catkins or flowers that look like a caterpillar.
Sugar Maple Tree
Just like the Paper Birch tree, the Sugar Maple tree is another tree type native to Michigan that can be found literally almost anywhere in the said state. As you know, the common name “Sugar Maple” was coined from Maple syrup and sugar production. The leaf of the Maple tree is exactly like what you see in the flag of Canada. It has ragged and rough ridges along with a dark-gray color. In fact, this type of tree is not that easily identifiable compared to the other trees mentioned before.
White Oak Tree
The White Oaktree is a type of tree that you will usually find in the Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula of Michigan state. This tree has lobed leaf margins and the tip of those leaves is not pointed, but rather rounded. The bark of this tree has the color of light gray and has thick ridges.
However, the bark of this type of tree can be varying at times.
There are still many other different types of trees that you can find in Michigan. However, if you want more information about tree identification and trees native to Michigan, you can always get those with the help of the Department of Natural Resources in Michigan.