Trees in West Virginia

Walnut

Leaves:  Pinnate leaves with 9 - 21 leaflets, alternate arrangement, shoots have chambered pith

Bark:  Grey-black, deeply furrowed

Native Habitat:  Lots of sunlight along with rich, moist soil is needed.  Commonly near streams.

Fruit/Flowers:  Walnuts (edible)

Photo by Steve Nix

Average Size: 70 feet tall (up to 150 feet in the woods), 60 - 80 feet spread (if in an open area)

Uses: Quality lumber and veneer when trees have a diameter of greater than 18 inches, very valuable for find woodworking

Other:  The Walnut tree produces juglone, which is toxic to many other plants.  This keeps other vegetation from competing for the soil's moisture and nutrients.

Silver/Water Maple

Leaves:  Deeply clefted, 5-lobed, light green on top and silvery white on the underside, fine teeth, opposite arrangement

Bark:  Silvery gray on young trees, often breaks into scaly plates that makes older trees look shaggy

Native Habitat:  Bottomland and floodplain species

Fruit/Flowers:  Commonly referred to as "helicopters," the seeds are V-shaped, 1 - 2 inches long  

Average Size: over 100 feet tall, over 3 feet in diameter

Uses: Used to be planted as an ornamental street tree.  But the branches are brittle and break easily in strong winds, so this is no longer a common practice.  Occasionally tapped for sugar.

Other:  The wood is fairly hard, with even texture, and is easily worked.  It is used for pulp and lumber to be used to make furniture, cabinets, and flooring.

Sugar Maple

Leaves:  5-lobed (rarely 3-lobed), bright green on top and pale green on the underside, no teeth, smooth edges, opposite arrangement  

Bark:  Smooth gray on young trees, deeply furrowed in long vertical plates on older trees  

Native Habitat:  Can grow in a variety of soil and site conditions.  Tolerant of shade, but not great in very wet or very dry soil. 

Fruit/Flowers:  Seeds are horseshoe-shaped, double-winged, about 1 inch long  

exoticwoodgroup.com

Average Size: 80 feet tall, over 2 feet in diameter

Uses:  High sugar content, good for tapping.  Important timber tree with softer hard wood commonly used for furniture, paneling, and veneer.  

Other:  Not very good for flooring since it is a softer wood.

Oak

 Leaves:  5 - 9 pointed lobes, 3 - 5 inches long, 2 - 5 inches wide, main vein in center

Bark:  Smooth gray-brown on young trees, dark gray with shallow furrows on older trees  

Native Habitat:  Poorly drained river edges, clay soil 

Fruit/Flowers:  1/2 inch acorns   

http://www.dof.virginia.gov/trees/oak-pin.htm

Average Size: 50 - 70 feet tall, 1 - 2 feet in diameter

Uses:  Lumber, firewood, flooring 

Other:  Wood is hard and heavy.  Oak is the most widely used hardwood.

Eastern Hemlock

Leaves:  Short, flat, dark green needles, opposite arrangement

Bark:  Reddish-brown on young trees, and darkens with age, also known as leather bark

Native Habitat:  Grows best in moist conditions with partial sun or partial shade

Fruit/Flowers:  Very small pinecones 3/8 to 3/4 inch long

Average Size: 40 - 70 feet tall, can reach heights of 100+ feet.  2 - 3 feet in diameter, can reach up to 5 or 6 feet in diameter

Uses:  Logs used to build cabins, and wood is used for lumber.  The wood was once very valuable for tanning

Other:  Hemlocks are conifers, which are wind (not bee) pollinated.  It was a very important tree in the economy, but Adelgids (small insects) have infested the Eastern Hemlocks and a very large portion of the trees have died as a result.

Eastern Red Cedar

Leaves:  Very fragrant, dark green scale-like pressed close together.

Bark:  Light reddish-brown

Native Habitat:  Grows on a wide variety of soils, from dry rocky ridges to acidic wetlands.  Trees grow best in barren areas where there are few other trees. 

Fruit/Flowers:  Males (small, yellow-brown) and females (light blue-green) grow on separate trees.  Cones grow only on female trees.  They are green-blue with a grayish-shite waxy covering and look a lot like a berry.    

http://www.dof.virginia.gov/trees/cedar-east-red.htm

Average Size:  Mature trees are 40 - 60 feet tall, 1 - 2 feet in diameter.

Uses:  Small logs are used for railing (for log cabins) while larger logs are commonly used to make furniture.  Its natural oils repel insects so it is used for lining closets, chests, and pet bedding.

Other:  Trees are pressure-washed to remove the bark before grinding the knots, assembling the furniture/railing, and then staining the final product.  (My family started a cedar railing/furniture business.)  The more character a log has (knots, twists, etc...), the more valuable it is.

Red Spruce

 Leaves:  Green, angular needles 1/2 - 5/8 inch long

Bark:  Dark brown to gray in color, often broken into scales

Native Habitat:  Grows best in well-drained, but moist and rocky soil at high altitudes

Fruit/Flowers:  Males are small and contain the pollen.  Long skinny female cones are reddish-brown with smooth scales that fall off as soon as they are ripe.

Average Size: 60 - 80 feet tall, 1 - 2 feet in diameter

Uses:  Lumber, pulp, poles, boat building, barrels, and fine musical instruments

Other:  Spruce wood was the preferred wood for airplane frame construction in the early days of flight.  And the hardened sap was once used as chewing gum.  The trees, which may live to be 400 years old are now stressed by air pollution. 

Yellow (Tulip) Poplar

 Leaves:  Alternate, 4 - 6 inches long, 4 pointed lobes, smooth edges

Bark:  Light gray with shallow furrows

Native Habitat:  Grows best in moist soils along streams and in lower mountain coves

Fruit/Flowers:  Tulip shaped, yellowish-green with orange near the bottom

Average Size:  90 - 110 feet tall, 2 - 3 feet in diameter  (Can reach nearly 200 feet tall and 10 feet in diameter)

Uses:  Lumber, trim, veneer, chip board, plywood, furniture, and pulp.  Can be stained to look like other types of wood, but much cheaper.   

Other:  Wood is light, soft, and easily worked.  One of the largest and most valuable hardwood trees in the United States.

Magnolia

 Leaves:  Alternate, oblong, often clustered at the end of branches

Bark:  Smooth grayish brown, splotchy 

Native Habitat:  Rich coves, cool slopes, mountain areas

Fruit/Flowers:  Creamy white petals appearing in the spring with the leaves, unpleasant odor

Average Size:  30 - 50 feet tall, 1 - 1.5 feet in diameter 

Uses:  Lumber (used mainly to manufacture furniture), pulpwood, veneer

Other:  Wood is light and easily worked.  Often combined in a mix with yellow poplar

Ash

 Leaves:  Opposite, pinnately compound, toothed edges, 7 - 9 leaflets 

Bark:  Ashy gray to brown

Native Habitat:  River bottoms and stream banks

Fruit/Flowers:  1 - 2.5 inches, long skinny, flat and winged

http://www.dof.virginia.gov/trees/ash-green.htm

Average Size:  60 - 70 feet tall, 1.5 feet in diameter 

Uses:  Baseball bats, firewood, handles, crates, rough lumber

Other:  Wood has a straight and strong grain.

Black Locust

  Leaves:  Alternate, pinnately compound, 8 - 14 inches long, 7 - 19 oval, smooth-edge leaflets

Bark:  Gray or light brown, deeply furrowed, thick, ridged

Native Habitat:  Variety, grows best in moist, limestone regions

Fruit/Flowers:  Showy and fragrant white flowers appearing in mid to late spring, 2 - 4 inch flat brown pods containing 4 - 8 red-brown seeds ripening in the fall

http://www.dof.virginia.gov/trees/locust-black.htm

http://www.dof.virginia.gov/trees/locust-black.htm

Average Size:  30 - 70 feet tall, 1 - 2 feet in diameter 

Uses:  Fence posts, poles, mine timbers, and decking

Other:  Wood is very heavy, hard, and strong.  If cut at the right time of year, it is very resistant to decay. The honey locust tree was used to make the crown of thorns Jesus wore during His crucifixion.

Tree of Heaven

Leaves:  Pinnately compound, 10 - 41 leaflets on 1 - 3 foot stalks  (When the leaves are crushed, they have a strong peanut butter odor.)

Bark:  Light gray, rough

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/forestry/iowa_trees/trees/tree_of_heaven.html

Native Habitat:  Grows almost anywhere, suffers in shaded and flooded areas

Fruit/Flowers:  Yellowish-green flowers appearing April - June, wing-shaped fruit appears July - February

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/forestry/iowa_trees/trees/tree_of_heaven.html

Average Size:  up to 80 feet tall, up to 6 feet in diameter 

Uses:  Originally used for ornamental purposes.  Also has medicinal uses to treat dysentery, bowel problems, asthma, epilepsy, and more.

Other:  Very invasive and rapidly reproducing with sprouts that can grow 10 - 14 feet in the first year.  Negative economic importance as it commonly interferes with power lines.