Here are some of the most common trees of Pennsylvania. Authoritative, encyclopedic, lavishly illustrated guide to the trees of the state and region—from the Morris Arboretum, the official arboretum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. An iron furnace required 20,000-35,000 acres of forest to support it on a sustainable basis. You are being redirected to the DCNR eLibrary. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, there are 134 native and 62 introduced species of trees found in the state. Like other green plants they utilize carbon dioxide and produce oxygen and sugars. A campaign led by Dr. Joseph Rothrock, resulted in the formation of a Division of Forestry within the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture in 1895 and the appointment of Dr. Rothrock as the first Forestry Commissioner. Initially open land will be colonized by species such as eastern red cedar, tuliptree, aspens, or red maple that grow well in the high light conditions of open fields. Never needs cutting unless to tidy. An introduced or non-native plant is one that has been brought into the state to become established in the wild. Combining plants that grow well in the same natural habitats will help create healthy, vigorous plantings. Menu. Pennsylvania native plants are plants that thrived in the area before settlement. Descriptions, Illustrations, and Distribution Maps, Alder — Apple — Aralia — Arbor-vitae — Ash — Atlantic white-cedar — Basswood — Beebee tree — Beech — Birch — Blackgum — Blackhaw — Bladdernut — Buckeye — Catalpa — Cherry — Chestnut — Chinese toon-tree — Corktree — Crabapple — Dogwood — Douglas-fir — Elm — Empress-tree — Fir — Fringetree — Ginkgo — Golden rain-tree — Hackberry — Hawthorn — Hemlock — Hickory — Holly — Honey-locust — Hoptree — Hop-hornbeam — Hornbeam — Juniper — Katsura-tree — Kentucky coffee-tree — Larch — Locust — Magnolia — Maple — Mimosa — Mountain-ash — Mulberry — Oak — Osage-orange — Pagoda-tree — Paper-mulberry — Pawpaw — Pear — Persimmon — Photinia — Pine — Plum — Poplar — Prickly-ash — Redbud — Sapphire-berry — Sassafras — Shadbush — Silverbell — Snowbell — Sourwood — Spruce — Sumac — Sweetgum — Sycamore — Tree-of-heaven — Tuliptree — Walnut — Willow — Witch-hazell, Chapter 4. You can support us by becoming a member, making a donation, and/or volunteering . The railroad logging era, as it is known, allowed loggers to reach the vast interior of the state's forests. Have you wondered what kind they are? Pennsylvania's Forest Heritage. Only a few fragments remain of the original forest. Four other tree species, short-leaf pine and three hawthorns, have been recommended for listing but a specific status has not yet been determined. Shale barrens and limestone barrens of the Ridge and Valley physiographic province contain drought-tolerant species including red cedar, Virginia pine, table mountain pine, yellow oak, post oak, hackberry, and sumac. However, short-term fencing does not allow forest shrubs or wildflowers, which never outgrow the reach of deer, to escape devastation. Others, such as chestnut and butternut, have become rare through the impact of insects or diseases. Recent outbreaks of native insects such as elm spanworm, forest tent caterpillar, eastern tent caterpillar, and cherry scallop-shell moth have caused extensive tree death in some parts of the state. Quercus rubra. The Tionesta Scenic and Natural Area in Allegheny National Forest in northwestern Pennsylvania includes the only sizable tract of old growth forest that remains in the state. The gypsy moth, which spread into the state following its accidental release in eastern Massachusetts in 1869, reduced the importance of oaks through preferential feeding on members of the genus Quercus. Rarity occurs for several reasons; some native Pennsylvania trees such as balsam fir, tamarack, and black spruce are northern species that are at their southern limit of range in Pennsylvania. Width: 1-2'. Fall foliage red to red orange. Quercus alba. Cutting Down the TreesAs European settlers claimed the land, taming the wilderness meant cutting down trees and eradicating some forest wildlife, especially large predators, in order to make room for farms, towns, and villages and to assure the safety of pioneer families and their livestock. On drier upper slopes and ridge tops throughout the central Pennsylvania, oak forests are dominated by white, black, and chestnut oak are common. During the railroad logging era, technology was present not only to harvest vast areas but also to utilize everything regardless of species or size. We propagate and grow more than 80 species of perennial plants from local seed we collect in the wild. Understory trees typically include moosewood, witch-hazel, mountain holly, and shadbush. Allegheny plum and pumpkin ash have been recommended for endangered status. Sort Guide order; Alphabetical by display name; Alphabetical by scientific name; Grid Card. The famous Revolutionary War frigate USS Constitution, “Old Ironsides,” was made of White oak. Native Trees and Shrubs for Pennsylvania Properties. Trees are also beautiful and restful to look at, conveying a sense of pleasure and well-being. Charcoal making utilized small trees and could be done on a 25-year rotation in most areas. A small tree can bring beauty and diversity into your yard while taking up very little space. A grass substitute for dry, shady areas under trees. Today many of the old railroad beds are the basis for a network of hiking trails. However, current interpretation is to view the forest as a constantly shifting mosaic of patches created by individual tree falls and other small-scale change. American beech 4. Development of a system of forest reserves, now known as state forests, began in 1897 with the acquisition of abandoned cut-over lands that were sold at tax sales. Appears as a tuft of grass. Full-Part Sun; Full-Part Shade; Shrubs & Trees; Shrubs & Trees. Oak forests include red oak-mixed hardwood type on lower slopes where red and white oaks occur mixed with tuliptree, red maple, and hickories. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, there are approximately 2,100 native plants in Pennsylvania. At the turn of the 21st century, about 1,300 species of non-native plants existed in Pennsylvania outside of … Trees dominate the landscape and provide habitat structure for a multitude of other plants, animals, invertebrates, and microorganisms, thereby protecting biological diversity. The 65 nonnative trees included in this book are species that have spread into our native forests or other natural habitats. A Brief History of Penn's WoodsThe land that greeted the earliest Europeans to arrive in Pennsylvania was primarily forested, broken only by rivers, occasional wetlands, and clearings associated with Native American villages. Trees of Pennsylvania All 40; Taxonomy; 30 Flowering Plants Subphylum Angiospermae; 10 Conifers Class Pinopsida; Search. Forests and the trees and other species that comprise them are constantly changing systems. Don’t worry if you see beetles on the flowers – they are the only pollinators who will visit. Rare SpeciesThe abundance of individual tree species varies greatly from those that are found throughout the state in a variety of habitats such as red maple, beech, and red oak, to those that are very limited in their occurrence. Trees are primarily identified by three things: their leaves, seeds, and bark. In Pennsylvania, the clearing for farming and cutting trees for commercial uses that began with the first European arrivals had, by 1900, reduced the forest cover from 90-95 percent of the land area to 32 percent. The chestnut blight fungus, first discovered in New York City in 1904, swept through Pennsylvania reducing what had previously been our most abundant tree to minor status. Revealingly, later travelers in these same regions described a forested landscape apparently due to successional growth. Plant two for better fruit set. The most recent invader, hemlock woolly adelgid, is killing our state tree the Canadian hemlock in southern and eastern parts of the state. The “white oak group” includes all oaks without bristle-tipped lobes and acorns that ripen in one season. Part to full shade. ISA Certified Arborist® While those are the most common trees of Pennsylvania there are dozens of trees you will likely see in a walk in the woods. Early accounts of the landscape of the interior of Pennsylvania contain frequent references like this descriptive passage by Fortescue Cumming while crossing Tuscarora Mountain in 1807, "view to the westward, though extensive, was cheerless and gloomy, over a broken and mountainous or rather hilly country, covered with forests, chiefly of the dark and sombre pine . We didn’t want to stop there! Most of Pennsylvania’s forest lands fall into two types: Mixed oak forests cover about 54 percent of the commonwealth -- mostly in the south -- and include trees such as northern red oak, chestnut oak, shagbark hickory, red maple, and tulip poplar. Black or “Swamp” Ash. These forests contain tuliptree, sugar maple, beech, basswood, red oak, cucumber-tree, yellow buckeye, Ohio buckeye, white ash, and black cherry. The Forest TodayDespite dire predictions of Rothrock and others, Pennsylvania's forests did recover in the years following the great clearcut. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles How to identify trees Identification Keys, GlossaryAppendixTree ListsNative Trees that are Important Food Sources for Moths and ButterfliesSmall to Moderate-size Native Trees with Conspicuous FlowersNative Trees with Edible FruitsEndangered, Threatened, and Rare Trees of PennsylvaniaNative Early Successional Trees (sun-loving)Native Trees of Riparian ForestsNative Wetland TreesTrees that are at or Near the Southern Limit of their Natural Range in PennsylvaniaTrees that are at or Near the Northern Limit of their Natural Range in PennsylvaniaTrees that are at or Near the Eastern Limit of their Natural Range in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Trees Listed by Family, Chapter 2. In turn, trees that have National champion potential will be forwarded to American Forests. More non-native plants are introduced every year. Old photographs record the boom days at Masten, Golinza, Laquin, and many other sites that today are only names on a map, a few old foundations, or perhaps the site of a hunting camp. Heart's Content, also in the Allegheny National Forest, has 100 acres of old growth hemlock-white pine forest. Small scale garden/ landscape design and … Native wildflowers, grasses, sedges & ferns Keystone Wildflowers provides a variety of Pennsylvania native plants, including wildflowers, ferns, grasses and sedges, shrubs, vines and trees. Pennsylvania is host to one national forest; the Allegheny National Forest contains just over half a million acres. 243979, Member of the Somerset County Chamber of Commerce. The herbaceous layer is very rich and diverse. Fourteen other smaller fragments are preserved in state forests or state parks. There are always opportunities to help, regardless of your level of expertise. Home; About; Contact; Our Plants. 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