Identify trees by their bark

Keep age in mind

Bark changes as a tree grows. Young trees of many species have smooth bark that becomes rough and furrowed later. Look at mature trees when learning, and use bark together with other clues.

Smooth

• Beech: smooth and grey, even on very old trees. Often described as looking like elephant skin.
• Aspen: smooth, pale greenish-white to grey, with dark marks and scars, becoming rougher at the base with age.

Peeling or papery

• Paper birch: white bark that peels in thin horizontal sheets.
• Silver birch: white bark with dark, diamond-shaped cracks, becoming rough and dark near the base on older trees.

Flaking in patches

• American sycamore and London plane: bark flakes off in patches, leaving a camouflage pattern of cream, green and brown.

Horizontal marks

• Cherry and birch: look for lenticels, short horizontal lines or dashes that let the bark "breathe". On cherries the bark is often shiny and reddish-brown.

Ridged and furrowed

• Oak: thick bark with deep, irregular ridges and furrows on older trees.
• Ash: on mature trees, ridges interlace to form a regular diamond pattern.
• Sweetgum: grey-brown with deep furrows; young twigs sometimes have corky wings.

Shaggy or plated

• Shagbark hickory: long strips that curl away from the trunk at the ends.
• Scots pine: scaly plates, turning a distinctive orange higher up the trunk.
• Larch: flaky, scaly bark that can be reddish underneath.

Make it a habit

Touch the bark (gently), look at it closely and from a few steps back, and photograph it alongside a leaf in autumn. Next winter, you'll recognize the tree from its trunk alone.

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