More Tree ID Along The Shoreline of Your Maine Lakefront Property

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More Tree ID Along The Shoreline of Your Maine Lakefront Property

More Tree ID Along The Shoreline of Your Maine Lakefront Property

The Gem of Long Pond, Belgrade, Maine

by Leigh Macmillen Hayes
We’re always encouraging you to maintain the vegetated buffer along the shoreline of your Maine lakefront property. This is the second of our three-blog series on tree identification, some of which you may find in your buffer.

 

 

 

 

 


Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) The bark of these oak trees ranges from greenish brown to gray in color with a rusty red inner bark. Older species feature wide, flat-topped ridges that run vertically parallel. They remind us of ski tracks. Dark, shallow furrows separate the ridges. The leaves often remain on trees long into the winter months.

Northern Red Oak


Big-Tooth Aspen (Populus grandidentata) This tree confuses even they pros. I’ve been in the field with foresters who can’t tell the difference between a Big-Tooth Aspen and a Quaking Aspen. When you see the leaves, you’ll know for sure, but maybe it’s enough to know it’s an aspen. Period. When young, the bark is olive to gray-green. As it matures, it resembles a Northern Red Oak at eye level. But . . . follow the trunk up and you’ll see that it looks like a birch tree above. Diamond-shaped lenticels (remember, all trees have lenticels, which are tiny slits that function as pores for the exchange of gas) are visible on the lower trunk. The lenticels join together and form uneven patches and vertical cracks. The bark has rounded ridges that look and feel gnarly and deep, dark furrows.

Big-Tooth Aspen


White Ash (Fraximus americana) White Ash is ashy gray to light brown. As the tree matures, its ridges intersect, forming obvious diamond-shaped furrows that look like either the letter “A” or resemble the pattern of a cantaloupe rind. I encourage you to touch the bark–notice its corkiness.

white ash


American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) This is one of my favorites. It’s silver-gray to grayish green, and the bark remains smooth throughout its lifespan. That being said, you’ll see many beech trees that have pockmarks caused by beech bark disease. Young beech retain their leaves for most of the winter. To me, they’re like little rays of sunshine in the landscape.  And always inspect the bark–you might just find bear claw marks like these.

Beech


Again, I challenge you to explore your property and develop your bark eyes.
To learn more about lakefront properties for sale on Long Pond in the Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine, click on the green box above.
To learn more about the Belgrade Lakes Region, check out the blog links below.
Long Pond in Belgrade, Maine, Offers Lakefront Cottage Owners Clean Water, Great Fishing, and Ambiance
Great Pond in Belgrade, Maine, Offers Great Cabins and Cottages

 

(photo credit: Leigh Macmillen Hayes, Maine Master Naturalist)

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