Seeing the forest in a new way: HCT Field Class helps tree fans branch out

Have you ever peered into the forest and wondered “what are the names of those mysterious woody things?”

Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) offered a great way to help clear up the confusion last week. Naturalist Tom Walker led a fascinating Tree & Shrub ID Field Class at Coy’s Brook Woodlands.

The easygoing and highly knowledgeable Walker led a curious crew along the trail, with frequent stops for identification and discussion.

Walker started out by explaining the difference between a tree and a shrub. “Trees have one main stem and they can grow really tall. shrubs are generally under 20 feet tall, usually even less than that, and they have multiple stems,” he said.

There can be a few hitches to that general rule: when trees are cut down, or the stump dies back, dormant buds that live in the stump can start sprouting and the tree can have multiple stems. And sumacs, a shrub, generally produce only one stem.

Walker also introduced participants to the gravity-defying power of lignin, a complex natural polymer which is present in woody plants, and allows them to grow tall. “Trees and shrubs have a lot of lignin, and they produce this woody, tough material,” he said.

Conifers and hardwoods

“Trees come in two groups,” said Walker. “One group, called the conifers, and the other group, which can be called a bunch of different things, but they’re basically the flowering plants. They are known as the hardwoods, sometimes called deciduous trees.”

Conifers (sometimes called evergreens) produce cones, with their seeds inside a cone scale, the little plates you see on a pinecone. For flowering trees, seeds are enclosed in an ovary.

Along the walk, Walker identified a variety of plants and provided handy ID tips for amateur tree and shrub fans. We met oaks, maples, pine trees, Atlantic white cedars and a swell bunch of shrubs.

Coy’s Brook Woodlands features a nice stand of beech trees, but they are locked in a battle with Beech leaf disease, a fungal malady caused by a nematode (a tiny worm). Beech trees around the eastern United States have been affected.

“It causes the trees to drop all their leaves,” said Walker. “No one really knows what to do about it yet, so beech trees are going to be in trouble.”

A nostalgic aroma

But spirits were lifted when Walker showed us the low-lying, evergreen shrub known as teaberry, and we sniffed the leaves, enjoying the refreshing mild wintergreen aroma. Teaberry extract can be used in gum and candy, and in some parts of Pennsylvania, teaberry ice cream is still a favorite.

We finished up in a swampy area, home to some lovely Atlantic white cedars. Walker told us that the wood of these trees was popular with settlers because it is resistant to rot.

There was a lot of cheerful tree chatter on the way back to the parking lot. Walking with a Harwich Conservation Trust expert fires the imagination and whets the appetite for more learning and exploration.

Now, when a tree falls in the forest, we might not hear the sound, but we’ll be able to identify it!

—HCT offers great guided programs year-round. To see the full calendar view of upcoming walks and events, click here.

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