By Kat Hallett
The Acadian forest is a cornerstone of Albert County and beautiful in every season, from the brilliant greens of early spring, to lush, full forests in the summer, and bright red maples in the fall. Primarily composed of birch, maple, balsam fir and spruce, it is often easy to identify (ID) the trees in our forests. In the winter, however, this task becomes more difficult.
The Acadian forest is a cornerstone of Albert County and beautiful in every season, from the brilliant greens of early spring, to lush, full forests in the summer, and bright red maples in the fall. Primarily composed of birch, maple, balsam fir and spruce, it is often easy to identify (ID) the trees in our forests. In the winter, however, this task becomes more difficult.
While some of our trees are immediately recognizable without their leaves, like the striped maple with its distinct green and black striped bark, it is often difficult to ID a tree from its bark alone. Even the supposedly “unmistakable” birch can be difficult to properly ID by its bark in the winter, especially if it’s an older tree. In the absence of leaves, we must look for features like twig arrangement, buds and crown shape to identify tree species.
The paper birch and striped maple are perhaps the most recognizable tree species in the Acadian forest. The aptly named paper birch has white, papery thin bark that peels in large pieces from the trunk. Its slender trunk that often curves before extending to a narrow, oval-shaped crown. Striped maple have distinct, bright green bark with vertical black stripes. Older striped maple lose the green colour but retain the vertical stripes, setting them apart from other species of maple tree. They also stay quite small, maxing out at about 10m tall and measuring 20cm in diameter.
The paper birch and striped maple are perhaps the most recognizable tree species in the Acadian forest. The aptly named paper birch has white, papery thin bark that peels in large pieces from the trunk. Its slender trunk that often curves before extending to a narrow, oval-shaped crown. Striped maple have distinct, bright green bark with vertical black stripes. Older striped maple lose the green colour but retain the vertical stripes, setting them apart from other species of maple tree. They also stay quite small, maxing out at about 10m tall and measuring 20cm in diameter.
The yellow birch, like the paper birch, is also often easily recognizable. They too have very thin bark, but it often peels from the trunk in much thinner, stringier pieces, and the bark on its limbs and trunk is silvery-yellowish in colour. The yellow birch grows much larger than its cousin the paper birch, and the older and bigger it gets the less distinguishable its bark becomes.
Yellow birch can grow up to 21m tall and 1m in diameter. When they get this big, their bark loses its papery quality and becomes much hardier, resembling sugar maples and other species of maple that aren’t as recognizable as the striped maple. One surefire way to distinguish an older yellow birch from a maple tree is twig arrangement. Birch trees have alternate twigs, meaning they grow singly from the branch, without another twig opposite it. Maple trees, on the other hand, always have opposite twigs, meaning each twig or leaf has a “twin” on the other side of the branch.
Yellow birch can grow up to 21m tall and 1m in diameter. When they get this big, their bark loses its papery quality and becomes much hardier, resembling sugar maples and other species of maple that aren’t as recognizable as the striped maple. One surefire way to distinguish an older yellow birch from a maple tree is twig arrangement. Birch trees have alternate twigs, meaning they grow singly from the branch, without another twig opposite it. Maple trees, on the other hand, always have opposite twigs, meaning each twig or leaf has a “twin” on the other side of the branch.
Identifying coniferous trees in the Acadian forest is sometimes confusing, but there are a few simple ways to tell them apart. We have both black and red spruce, which are very difficult to differentiate without testing their DNA, but as a general rule black spruce grow in low, wet areas, while red spruce adorn the hills and drier areas. Spruce needles grow all the way around the twigs. They are stiff and pointy but round, and if you take a couple needles in your hand they will easily roll between your finger tips. Balsam fir needles, on the other hand, are flat and grow only from two sides of the twig, appearing to occupy a single horizontal plane. Averaging 2-3cm in length, they are soft to touch and don’t roll between your fingertips.
Composed of towering spruce and riddled with gnarly old birch, the Acadian forest is enchanting in every season, providing exceptional outdoor recreation opportunities and a year-round home to many types of animals in the Fundy region.
Composed of towering spruce and riddled with gnarly old birch, the Acadian forest is enchanting in every season, providing exceptional outdoor recreation opportunities and a year-round home to many types of animals in the Fundy region.
Kat has recently moved away from Albert County, but still has tons to say about the 2.5 years she spent living in Alma. She enjoys hiking, camping and fishing, and this love of nature is reflected in most of her writing.
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