University of Wisconsin- River Falls

Agricultural Education Forestry Curriculum and Resources

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Unit 4 - Tree Identification

Objectives:

At the end of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Identify and differentiate between tree characteristics used in classifying different tree species.
2. Use a taxonomic key to identify tree species.

Unit Concepts and Associated Resources:

Concepts:

I. Characteristics associated with tree species classification.
II. Use of a taxonomic key to identify the species of a particular tree/specimen.
III. Common names versus scientific name for a tree species.

High School Forestry Textbook Resources:

1. Rolfe - pp. 47-62
2. Burton - pp. 84-92

Forestry Information Resources:

FMD Chapter 3

Publications:

1. Forest Trees of Wisconsin, Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources, 2003
Publication number: FR-053, Keywords: identification, tree, forest

Additional Websites:

1. http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/leaf/treeid.htm

2. http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/

Activity Suggestions:

1. Burton - p. 79
2. Burton Lab Manual - Chapter 3 - Exercise 1
3. LEAF: 7-8: Field Enhancement 1
4. PLT - Acclivity 68

(See the list of references for full information on each resource listed)