Taking Photos of Trees for Expert Identification and Urban Forest Inventories

Filed Under:

Publication Number: P3678

Extension personnel often receive questions regarding identification of a particular tree. Digital photography, email, and text messaging make submitting specimens for identification very quick and easy.

Digital Photography

Take close-up, clear photos of the specimen with a digital camera. Please consider the following:

Select a specimen that shows as many distinguishing characteristics of a species as possible. These would include leaves, twigs, flowers, fruit, bark, form, and position in the landscape.
If there is dramatic variation in leaf shape on a single plant, include photographs of all leaf shapes (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Leaf
Unique characteristics are particularly important to include, such as thorns, twigs and branching patterns, or fruits and nuts (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Maturing fruit
Include a photograph that shows the characteristics of the bark (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Tree bark
- Make note of the type of site on which the tree is growing (wet, dry, flooded, etc.)
Finally, send a photograph of the tree in the landscape to show its form (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Landscape and form
- If necessary, crop photos to reduce their size or use a medium-quality setting.

When sending your photographs to Extension personnel, include your contact information and any description you would like to provide about the plant, such as its size, history, or habitat. If you like, you may use the Tree Identification Request Form on the back. Send photographs via email to your urban forest inventory facilitator/coordinator/team leader, or regional Extension Forestry Specialist.

Tree Identification Request Form

Specimen Description

Specimen includes: leaves/twigs/fruit/stem/other

Plant origin: naturally occurring/planted/unknown

Plant size (approx.): height/diameter (at breast height)

Form: single stem/multi-stem

Specialist’s Response

Common name:

Scientific name:

Normal range:

Habitat:

Primary uses:

Specialist:

Date:

Publication 3678 (POD-09-22)

Revised by Brady Self, Associate Extension Professor, Forestry, from an earlier version by Jason S. Gordon, former Associate Extension Professor.

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