Station 7: Plants of the Forest

Plants of the forest are adapted to different living conditions. White ash and red maple are common in hardwood swales, which is intermediate in moisture between our driest and wettest forests, while swamps often have spruce and/or larch and dry uplands have a lot of oak.

• White pine, white birch, gray birch and poplar are typical of young forests like this that have recently invaded abandoned fields or other open places.
• As you go further north in New England, conifers such as spruce are more common.
• To the south, many hardwood species that occur only occasionally here become more common.

If we know the important effects of land use, moisture, altitude and latitude on forest composition, we can judge what trees to expect as we go from place to place, and we can guess the conditions under which they got started and grew.

Below are some identifying characteristics of local trees and shrubs. For trees, look at the bark, the shape of the leaves and whether the leaves are arranged in an alternate or opposite manner on the twigs.

Trees: Click on name for description and picture

Shrubs: Click on name for descripton and picture