Here is my tree identification practice submission. This was a hard one for being in the depth of winter here in Ohio but I used an online tree identification app called "Picture This" which was great for the mostly leafless winter landscape...
Eastern hemlock (Tsuga, family Pinaceae)
Locally abundant here in cool ravines and ridges.
(Pic 1)
(Pic 2)
Uses:
-Fatwood (who doesn't like Fatwood)
-Pine needle tea (great for treating coughs and colds which is nice when on a long trip in drier conditions) also a natural source of vitamin C
-The sap can be mixed with charcoal to make a waterproof glue
-The bark can also be used for tea and can be used for tanning leather.
Description:
Eastern hemlock is a straight-trunked, gracefully pyramidal tree with long, pendulous limbs and short-needled, feathery branches. Evergreen needles are dark-green with silvery undersides.Evergreen tree with conical crown of long, slender, horizontal branches often drooping down to the ground, and a slender, curved, and drooping leader. Height is usually 40-70 ft., but can reach 100 ft. or more.
Silver maple (Acer saccharinum)
Found everywhere here in our eastern woodlands. Besides oaks, Maple trees of every variety are extremely common.
(Pic 3)
(Pic 4)
Uses:
-great burning firewood
-its sap, although lower in sugar content, can still be boiled into a light syrup
-maple can be used for smoking meats
-the seeds can be boiled and eaten
Description:
Large tree with short, stout trunk, few large forks, spreading, open, irregular crown of long, curving branches, and graceful cut-leaves. A large canopy tree, 75-100 ft. tall, silver maple’s massive, ascending limbs form a graceful, oval or rounded crown. Plump, red flower buds are visible in winter and the first to bloom in spring. Deeply-cut, deciduous leaves are silvery underneath. Fall color ranges from yellow-brown to yellow tinged with bright red.
White oak (Quercus alba)
Like the Maple the White oak is very common here in the eastern woodlands.
(Pic 5)
(Pic 6)
Uses:
-Acorns, where do we start, acorns can be eaten after repeated soaks in warm water baths to knock down the acidity.
-the wate from the initial soak can be used to heal rashes and other skin ailments
-the wood is popular for construction including cabinetry, beams, and furniture.
-wine and whiskey barrel construction
-back to the acorn, the meat can be broken down and grinded into a flour for baking (like for in bannock)...
Description:
Popular and long-lived shade tree, which grows to 100 feet (30.5 m), with a widespreading rounded crown and with numerous horizontal branches. Bark light gray, shallow furrows forming scaly ridges or plates. Twigs slender to stout, gray to reddish-green twigs with star-shaped pith; buds are reddish-brown and broadly oval and hairless. Leaves petiole 3?8 - 1 inch (10 - 25 mm) in length; obovate to elliptical leaves, 4 - 8 inches (101 - 203 mm) long, 2 3/4 - 4 3/4 inches (70 - 121 mm) wide, margin with 5 - 9 lobes that are widest beyond middle, deep sinuses extending a third or more to midrib; base acute to cuneate, apex broadly rounded; dull or shiny grayish green above, light green with slight pubescence which becomes smooth beneath as they mature.
White ash (Fraxinus americana)
This tree is found all over our area and is very common along cut woodlands and farm fields. Lots of young trees right now in the local parks and forests. Unfortunately the Ash tree as a species is quickly disappearing here in Ohio due to the Emerald Ash Borer beetle. So large, mature examples are dying but there are more and more young trees in my area. So maybe there is hope for the species to survive.
(Pic7)
(Pic 8)
Uses:
-great firewood
-traditionally used for bows and spears due to its long, straight grain and natural spring
-the leaves can be used for read
-the seed wings (called keys) can be used for making "pickled ash keys" and was common in Europe and Asia.
www.eatweeds.co.uk
Description:
Large tree with straight trunk and dense, conical or rounded crown of foliage with whitish lower surfaces. White ash is a 75-120 ft., large-canopied, deciduous tree with dense branching, pinnate leaves, and early fall color. Leaves turn yellow, then change to purple in autumn.
American beech (Fagus grandifolia)
The grand American beach tree. Planted in many of our local parks and golf courses for it's pretty shape. These are found in many of our local parks and forests and the beech nut is a favorite of the local deer and squirrel populations (which we have an abundance of)! The beech tree holds most of its leaves during the winter making it easier to identify year round and in it's smooth bark it is common to see age old initials carved into it.
(Pic 9)
(Pic 10)
Uses:
-edible beechnuts (raw and cooked in small quantities.
-oil from the nuts can be extracted and is similar to olive oil.
-Young leaves can be used as greens in salads but older leaves are poisonous.
Description:
50-80 ft. tall, with a maximum height of 120 ft. Its bark is very smooth and light gray, remaining so as the tree ages. Large tree with rounded crown of many long, spreading and horizontal branches, producing edible beechnuts. Branches spread horizontally to form a rounded top and dense growth. Dark-green, glossy, prominently veined leaves turn copper-colored in the fall and hold on most of the winter. Beechnuts are among the most important of wildlife food.
*Picture #'s 3 and 7 were pulled from the internet, the rest of the pictures are mine*