Tennessee Hardwood Trees

Red oak southern red oak southern red oak is one of tennessee s most common trees.

Tennessee hardwood trees. While some areas contained natural barrens or grass lands the land that was forested showed an amazing variety of trees and bushes. Elm genus ulmus. The blend of the soil s minerals and nutrients the amount of rainfall and the stable rotation of seasons assist in gradual growth and contribute to a superior quality of lumber. Hackberry genus celtis.

Cottonwood genus populus. Beech genus fagus. Most important being streamside buffers and wildlife habitat. Trees that require close examination s.

Welcome to the university of tennessee arboretum tree identification guide. Trees likely to be found growing on well drained land ash beech black cherry black oak black walnut blackgum. Many native trees are already used in tennessee home landscapes. Many more exist that are seldom used.

If you would like to know the common name scientific name or characteristics of a tree at the arboretum but you only know the shape of the leaf perhaps this guide will. Black cherry genus prunus. Examples of softwoods include pines spruces firs and hemlocks. Trees are most likely to be encountered in different parts of tennessee and on given sites can help speed up proper identification.

Some river and creek bottoms were choked with canebrakes. Black walnut butternut genus juglans. Oaks maples dogwood yellow poplar and oth ers are common. Hickory genus carya.

Birch genus betula. Softwood trees are conifers evergreens have needles or scale like foliage and are not deciduous. Most of the hardwood plantings 3 400 acres will be tailored to provide environmental benefits. For this guide we have chosen some of the trees commonly found on the trails at the arboretum.

It s the natural conditions of middle tennessee that grow these hardwoods to set the standards for strength and beauty. Much of middle tennessee was covered with a great virgin hardwood forest when it was first settled. Basswood genus tilia. Tree families in tennessee are.

Ash genus fraxinus. A to z list by scientific name pine pincaceae pine pinus spruce picea larches tamaracks larix hemlocks tsuga douglas firs and true firs pseudotsuga and abies. Check the following guides to find the trees most likely to be encountered on any given site in tennessee. The bark is very rough but thin less than thick.

It usually has a round well pruned trunk with a slight swell at the base and good form up to strong well spaced limbs at the top. Oaks maples birches and fruit trees are examples of hardwood trees.