Discover It

Tall Trees

Andy's Guide to Tall Trees
Trees of Eastern North America

Do you like to hike in the woods, climb branches, or sit in the shade on a hot summer day? If you said ‘yes’ to any of these, then you already know how great trees can be.

Take a look at the trees in your neighbourhood. You will notice there are many different types of trees, but that they all share some common characteristics – roots, a trunk, branches, and leaves or needles.

To begin identifying local trees, try to distinguish between the conifers and the broadleaf.

Most conifers are evergreen, meaning that they keep their leaves through the winter. Conifer leaves look like needles or like small scales, resembling fish scales.

Most broadleaf trees are deciduous, meaning they lose their leaves in the fall. Their leaves are thin, flat, and turn color and drop off for the winter. Their seeds grow inside fruits, nuts, pods, or berries.

It is important that we do not take trees for granted. They do many jobs that are essential to our environment such as providing food and shelter for wildlife, keeping the soil, water and air healthy, and providing people with the wood used for lumber and paper.

How much do you know about the world’s largest plants? Test your outdoor adventure knowledge and see if you can identify which trees pictured here are coniferous and which trees are broadleaf.

Use Andy Camper activities to have fun exploring and learning about trees. Collect tree rubbings, create music with a willow flute, and build a debris hut for shelter.

Activity Code: AC 112-1