– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County, OSU Extension
Peak color may arrive a little early this year!
One fall semester long, long ago, I took a tree identification course at OSU ATI in Wooster. My teacher was Dr. Laura Deeter. Class consisted primarily of tree walks across campus stopping at trees to examine every part of them we could reach. The bark, the buds, the leaves, the leaf scars, fruits, nuts, and even the crotch angles, which refer to how the branches off the main trunk are angled out. When the semester started in September it was my favorite class, but by the final exam it haunted my nightmares.
As you are probably aware, deciduous trees (those that lose their leaves in the fall) look quite different in December than they do in September. The class grew exponentially harder by the time we took the final exam. With almost 200 trees to potentially identify by common and scientific name, with no leaves, the pressure was on. By the end of the semester, tree I.D. was far from my best class, but it was still one of my favorites.
Every October I think of that class fondly as I continue to struggle identifying trees in the landscape. Peak fall color will surround us within a few weeks. The air will turn brisk and smell of dried leaves and harvest dust. Autumn is here. Peak color only lasts for a short while. Our nights will keep growing longer and the days shorter.
I hope that you will take time to walk the woodlands this fall and examine the little and big details of the trees that surround us in Southeast Ohio. If you would like to learn more about tree identification traits of common woodland species in our area, check out Treemendous Tuesday on YouTube. Once a week our Extension Forestry Specialist- Dave Apsley posts a tree I.D. video. There are now 26 tree I.D. videos posted. You can find all of them online at http://go.osu.edu/treeid.
October is the deciduous forest’s time to shine. Don’t miss the show. I hope you will find the time to spend a day in the woods.