There’s been quite a bit in the news about the shortage of Christmas trees this year, so for those of us who prefer fresh trees, perhaps we can’t afford to be too picky. But I’m still a firm believer in having a discerning eye when it comes to picking the right tree. It’s not just about shape and size.
Whether or not you celebrate Christmas and bring a tree into your house, learning to identify various types of evergreen trees that grow in our forests or on a Christmas tree farm, is both easy and fun. To start, it’s important to realize that not all evergreen trees are pines.
Evergreens get their name because they only drop a portion of their needles each fall, thus remaining green all winter. They can retain some foliage because the slender needles are covered by a waxy coating. This reduces moisture loss at a time of year when roots can’t absorb water from frozen ground.
The common needle-bearing evergreens that grow in our area are categorized into four basic groups: pines, spruces, firs and hemlock. Looking carefully at their needles, buds and bark will distinguish the groups and species from each other.
Pine needles grow in bundles on the twigs. By counting the number of needles in each bundle you’ll be well on your way to discovering which pine you are looking at. White pine needles grow in groups of five. This is easy to remember because the word white has five letters. The needles have a whitish tinge and are 2.5 to 5 inches long. The white pine cone measures 4 to 8 inches and is often covered with sticky pitch. The thin flimsy branches of young white pines make them less desirable for Christmas trees, but it is an extremely valuable lumber tree.
Red pine, which is native to this area, and Scotch (or Scots) pine, which is not, both have needles in groups of two. You won’t find a red pine on a Christmas tree farm, but the Scotch pine is one of the most popular Christmas trees in the United States. The way to tell them apart is that red pine needles are 3 to 8 inches long and the bark of the tree has reddish-brown plates. The Scotch pine needles are 1 to 3 inches long and the bark is reddish-orange and flaky.
Several species of spruce trees grow in New England. Red and black spruce are adapted for higher elevations or wet areas while Colorado blue spruce and Norway spruce (neither of which are native here) are primarily used for ornamental yard trees.
Spruce needles grow singly, are rather short, spikey and four-sided so if you try to roll one between your fingers, it will stutter rather than roll. Spruce needles tend to have a pungent and distinctive odor. The white spruce is sometimes called “cat spruce” or “skunk spruce” because of its scent. Despite this, white spruce is the most common spruce raised for Christmas trees.
Firs on the other hand are extremely fragrant – sometimes receiving the designation as the smell of Christmas. Firs also differ from spruces in that their cones fall apart at maturity. You will not find a cone of a true fir on the ground.
The needles of fir trees are flat and blunt at the end, making for a gentle branch to handle. Balsam, Fraser, Douglas (not actually a true fir) and white (also called concolor) firs are commonly grown by tree farmers, though only the balsam is native to New England. Balsams can be distinguished from the other firs by rounded buds that look like they are glazed with sugar. Douglas fir by contrast has pointed buds.
A tree that can be confused with fir trees is the eastern hemlock. It’s very short needles (5/16 to 9/16 inch) with two distinctive white stripes on the back grow on droopy branches. The grace of these trees makes them much more beautiful in the forest than in a house, unless you are looking for a real Charlie Brown Christmas tree.
So whether you are scanning a Christmas tree farm or exploring the woods, the next time you encounter a needle-leaved tree, use all your senses to appreciate the unique qualities of these green survivors.