American basswood - dominant in the sugar maple-basswood association, most common in western Wisconsin and central Minnesota, but occurs as far east as New England and southern Quebec where the soils are mesic with relatively high pH. Basswood is a prolific sprouter and forms clumps from stumps. Basswood flowers draw hordes of bees and other insects and has been called the "humming tree".

Paper birch - needs high nutrients and a lot of sun. The bark is highly weather-resistant. Often, the wood of a downed paper birch will rot away leaving the hollow bark intact. This easily recognized birch bark is a winter staple food for moose even-though the nutritional quality is poor. Still, the bark is important to wintering moose because of its sheer abundance.

River Birch - native habitat is wet ground but it will grow on higher land, and its bark is quite distinctive, making it a favoured ornamental tree for landscape use.  Native Americans used the wild birch's boiled sap as a sweetener similar to maple syrup, and the inner bark as a survival food. It is usually too contorted and knotty to be of value as a timber tree.

Yellow birch - reflects the color of the tree's distinctive bark. Betula alleghaniensis is the provincial tree of Québec, where it is commonly called merisier, a name which in France is used for the wild cherry. Yellow birch thrives in moist woodlands and often seen on root stilts that have developed from seedlings that have grown on and over rotting stumps.

Boxelder Maple - the names "Box Elder" and "Boxelder Maple" are based upon the similarity of its whitish wood to that of boxwood and the similarity of its pinnately compound leaves with those of some species of elder. This maple is not particularly desired in the landscape because of rapid trunk rotting, prolific sprouting and branch shedding. However it is still planted in cities and on farms because of its rapid growth.

Butternut - Juglans cinerea, also called white walnut, is a species of walnut native to the eastern United States and southeast Canada. The nut, once plentiful, is rarely seen. If you find a supply, you have found a nut with the highest oil content and highest food value of all the walnuts and hickories. Butternut is seriously threatened by an introduced canker disease called Melanconis. In some areas, 90% of the Butternut trees have been killed. Some isolated single trees are surviving.

Black cottonwood - aka western balsam poplar or California poplar, is a deciduous broadleaf tree species native to western North America. It is used for timber, and is notable as a model organism in plant biology. Its full genome sequence was published in 2006. It is the first tree species to be sequenced. Balm-of-Gilead poplar is an ornamental clone and hybrid of this tree.

Eastern cottonwood - typically live 70 to 100 years, but  have the potential to live 200 to 400 years if they have a good growing environment.  Eastern cottonwood has fast growth and a spreading root system that will control erosion but will also damage pavement and clog sewers.

Cucumber magnolia - one of the largest magnolias and one of the cold-hardiest. A large forest tree of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada (Ontario). A tree generally occurring singly as scattered specimens, rather than in groves. Cucumbertree is an excellent shade tree for parks and gardens and gets its common name for the color and shape of unique fruit that resembles a cucumber.

Flowering dogwood - one of the most popular ornamental landscape trees in eastern North America. Usually displayed beneath large oaks or pines, both in the wild and as an ornamental. Dogwoods are among the earliest springtime blooming trees. With its dense crown, flowering dogwood provides good shade, and due to its small stature, it is useful in the smallest yards. This beloved tree is the state tree of Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia.

American elm - long popular as a street or avenue tree but never really took to parks and cities. It is now being replaced by better trees like London plane-tree (Platanus X acerfolia) and Japanese zelkova (Zelkova serrata). Once extensively planted as a shade tree, Dutch elm disease has killed many of these. Isolated trees seem to be less susceptible to the disease while mass plantings tend to exacerbate the problems. American elm is of little value as a forest product.

Rock elm - aka cork elm, is a deciduous tree native primarily to the Midwestern United States. The wood is the hardest and heaviest of all elms. It is also very strong and takes a high polish which offers a wide range of uses, notably shipbuilding, furniture, agricultural tools, and musical instruments.

Slippery elm - reputedly less susceptible to Dutch elm disease than other North American elms but is severely damaged by the Elm Leaf Beetle. One of the smallest native North American elms but with one of the largest leaves. The tree never grows in pure stands. The tree has a slimy (slippery) inner bark, tastes like licorice and is has some food and medicinal value.

Hackberry - easily distinguished by its cork-like bark with wart-like protuberances. The leaves are distinctly asymmetrical and coarse-textured. It produces small (edible) berries that turn orange-red to dark purple. Hackberry is not an important timber tree. The wood resembles elm but is difficult to work.

Bitternut hickory - probably the most abundant and most uniformly distributed of all the hickories. Bitternut hickory grows in moist mountain valleys along streambanks and in swamps. Although it is usually found on wet bottom lands, it grows on dry sites and also grows well on poor soils low in nutrients. Because bitternut hickory wood is hard and durable, it is used for furniture, paneling, dowels, tool handles, and ladders. It is a choice fuel for smoking meats.

Mockernut hickory - very common and abundant southward through Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida but grows from Massachusetts south to northern Florida, west to Kansas and Texas and up to Iowa. The tree grows largest in the lower Ohio River Basin. Nearly 80 percent of harvested mockernut hickory is used to manufacture tool handles, for which its hardness, toughness, stiffness, and strength make it especially suitable.

Pignut hickory - (Carya glabra) is a common but not abundant species in the oak-hickory forest association in the Eastern United States. The range of pignut hickory covers nearly all of eastern United States, frequently growing on dry ridgetops and sideslopes throughout its range but it is also common on moist sites, particularly in the mountains and Piedmont.

Shagbark hickory - (Carya ovata)  a common hickory in the eastern United States and southeast Canada. Shagbark hickory has the most distinctive of all the hickory bark because of its loose-plated bark. Its hickory nut is edible and has a very sweet taste. Shagbark hickory wood is used for smoking meat and was used for making the bows of Native Americans of the northern area.

Shellbark hickory - nuts are the largest of all hickory nuts and are sweet and edible. Wildlife and people harvest most of the nuts and those remaining produce seedling trees readily. This hickory is distinguished from other hickories by large leaves, large nuts and orange twigs.

American holly - typically grows as an understory tree in forests. Rare in the north of its range in New England and New York, and always small there. It is abundant further south on the southern coast and in the Gulf states, reaching its greatest size on the bottomlands of southern Arkansas and eastern Texas. Holly is a popular Christmas decoration and is inseparably connected with Christmas time. The custom in North America is to use holly and mistletoe for decoration of homes and churches. The American holly is the state tree of Delaware.

Black locust - has nitrogen-fixing bacteria on its root system and can therefore grow on poor soils, increases soil fertility and is an early colonizer of disturbed areas. The wood is extremely hard, resistant to rot and long lasting, making it prized for fence posts and small watercraft. As a young man, it is reported that Abraham Lincoln spent a lot of time splitting rails and fence posts from black locust logs. Black locust is a major honey plant in eastern USA, and, having been taken and planted in France, is the source of the renowned French acacia monofloral honey.

Southern magnolia - aka bull bay, is a magnolia native to the southeastern United States, from coastal Virginia south to central Florida, and west to East Texas. The tree is a very popular ornamental tree throughout the southeastern United States, grown for its attractive foliage and flowers. The Southern magnolia is the state tree of Mississippi, and the state flower of Mississippi and Louisiana.

Bigleaf Maple - acer macrophyllum aka Oregon maple is a large deciduous tree in the genus Acer. It is native to western North America, mostly near the Pacific coast, from southernmost Alaska south to southern California. Bigleaf maple is the only commercially important maple of the Pacific Coast region.

Red Maple - acer rubrum is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern North America since it is adaptable to a very wide range of site conditions, perhaps more so than any other tree in eastern North America. Its ability to thrive in a large number of habitats is largely due to its ability to produce roots to suit its site from a young age. Red Maple is widely grown as an ornamental tree in parks and in the landscape. Dozens of red maple varieties have been developed and the tree is prized for its fall color.

Silver maple - a weak tree but often introduced in the landscape to the dismay of many who plant it. It can be saved for planting in wet areas or where nothing else will thrive. The maple is also aggressive, growing into septic tank drain fields and into broken water and sewer pipes. Silver maple is closely related to the red maple, and can hybridise with it, the hybrid being known as the Freeman maple (Acer x freemanii). The Freeman maple is a popular ornamental tree in parks and large gardens, combining the fast growth of silver maple with the less brittle wood. The tree has very little value as a forest product.

Sugar maple -a native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario, and south to Georgia and Texas. Sugar maple is an immensely important species to the ecology of many forests in North America. Sugar maples engage in hydraulic lift, drawing water from lower soil layers and exuding that water into upper, drier soil layers. This not only benefits the tree itself but also many other plants growing around it. Sugar Maple is the major source of sap for making maple syrup and prized for furniture and flooring.

Black oak -  has readily hybridized with other members of the red oak group of oaks being one parent in at least a dozen different named hybrids. This single species' compatibility is fairly uncommon in the [i]Quercus[/i] genus group. Black oak is seldom used for landscaping. The inner bark of the black oak contains a yellow pigment called quercitron, which was sold commercially in Europe until the 1940s.

Cherrybark oak - (Q. pagodifolia) is fairly common large tree of bottomland forests, similar to the upland Southern red oak (Q. falcata), of which it was formerly considered a variety. The cherrybark tree has heavy strong wood that makes it an excellent timber tree for furniture and interior finish. It is a commercially desirable tree and managed for various forest products.

Laurel oak - (Quercus laurifolia) is commonly used as an ornamental tree in landscaping because of its fast growth and pleasing appearance; it is planted with little regard to soil type. The Latin laurifolia means laurel-leaved or having leaves like a laurel. Swamp laurel oak grows rapidly and usually matures in about 50 years which has led to its wide use as an ornamental.

Live oak - a symbolic tree of the Deep South. Quercus virginiana has a squat and leaning form with a large diameter tapering trunk. The Angel Oak near Charleston, South Carolina, is a live oak that has been determined to be the oldest tree in the eastern United States at 1400 years. Live oak is the state tree of Georgia.

Oregon white oak - the only native oak in British Columbia and Washington and the principal one in Oregon. Though commonly known as Garry oak in British Columbia, elsewhere it is usually called white oak, post oak, Oregon oak, Brewer oak, or shin oak. Its scientific name was chosen by David Douglas to honor Nicholas Garry, secretary and later deputy governor of the Hudson Bay Company, 1822-35.

Overcup oak - a medium-sized deciduous oak that is valued as a "white oak" wood. Commercial overcup oak varies extremely with site, fire damage, and degree of insect and decay defect. It is a quite ordinary oak with a unique acorn. The large acorns with hardened cups that enclose all or most of the nut are diagnostic.

Pin oak - one of the most overused landscape oak in the midwest and eastern United States. The oak is popular due to an attractive pyramidal shape and straight, dominant trunk, even on older specimens and availability. A lot of that popularity has been challenged because of iron-deficiency chlorosis, persistent brown leaves on the tree into the winter, and a ragged look with the stubby twig "pins" that stand out and is a negative to some.

Oak, Northern Red - Any oak with pointed, bristle-tipped leaf lobes belong to the red oak group, including Northern red oak. Red oak is the fastest growing of all oaks and when on the right site, one of the largest and longest lived. Northern red oak and is an easily transplanted, popular shade tree with good form and dense foliage. Northern red oak is well adapted to periodic fires.

Nuttall oak  - (Quercus nuttallii), not distinguished as a species until 1927, is also called red oak, Red River oak, and pin oak. It is one of the few commercially important species found on poorly drained clay flats and low bottoms of the Gulf Coastal Plain and north in the Mississippi and Red River Valleys. The acorn or winter buds identify Nuttall oak, easily confused with pin oak (Q. palustris). The lumber is often cut and sold as red oak. In addition to producing timber, Nuttall oak is an important species for wildlife management because of heavy annual mast production.

Scarlet oak - (Quercus coccinea) is best known for its brilliant autumn color. It is a large rapid-growing tree of the Eastern United States found on a variety of soils in mixed forests, especially light sandy and gravelly upland ridges and slopes. Best development is in the Ohio River Basin. In commerce, the lumber is mixed with that of other red oaks. Scarlet oak is a popular shade tree and has been widely planted in the United States and Europe.

Shumard oak - (Quercus shumardii) is one of the largest Southern red oaks. Other common names are spotted oak, Schneck oak, Shumard red oak, southern red oak, and swamp red oak. It is a lowland tree and grows scattered with other hardwoods on moist, well-drained soils associated with large and small streams. It grows moderately fast and produces acorns every 2 to 4 years that are used by wildlife for food. The wood is superior to most red oaks, but it is mixed indiscriminately with other red oak lumber and used for the same products. This tree makes a handsome shade tree.

Oak, Southern Red - All the red oaks, including Southern red oak, is most prized hardwood species in the United States. The uses of oak include almost everything that mankind has ever derived from trees-timber, food for man and animals, fuel, watershed protection, shade and beauty, tannin, and extractives.

Water oak is also called possum oak or spotted oak. The oak's habitat is commonly found along southeastern watercourses and lowlands on silty clay and loamy soils. Water oak is a medium-sized but rapid-growing tree is often abundant as second growth on cutover lands. Water oak is planted widely as a street and shade tree in southern communities.

White oak family members also include the bur oak, chestnut oak and Oregon white oak. This oak is immediately recognized by rounded lobes plus the lobe tips never have bristles like red oak. White oak is less favored than red oak because it is difficult to transplant and has a slow growth rate.

Willow Oak -  medium to large willow oak has unique willow-like foliage and is known for its rapid growth and long life. A favored shade tree, willow oak is widely planted as an ornamental. It is also a good species to plant along margins of fluctuating-level reservoirs.

Osage Orange - creates a dense canopy, making it useful as a windbreak. Young osage oranges can develop an upright, pyramidal habit and the fruit is unique, roughtextured, heavy green balls which ripen to yellowgreen and fall in October and November. The large, three to six-inch long by two to three-inch-wide, shiny, dark green leaves turn bright yellow in fall and are quite noticeable in the northeastern United States.

Royal Paulownia - an introduced ornamental that has become well established in North America. It is also known as princess-tree, empress-tree, or paulownia. Paulownia has a tropical look with very large catalpa-like leaves although the two species are not related. The paulownia has been touted as growing very valuable wood under correct management strategies.

Pecan - economically the most important member of the hickory family, of the genus Carya. Pecan production is a multimillion dollar business and one of North America's favorite nuts. C. illinoensis is an excellent multipurpose tree for the home landscape because it provides nuts and grand esthetic value.

Common Persimmon - an interesting, somewhat irregularly shaped native small to medium tree. Persimmon bark is grey or black and distinctly blocky with orange in the valleys between the blocks.

Redbud - a small tree that shines early in Spring (one of the first flowering plants) with leafless branches of magenta buds and pink flowers. Quickly following the flowers come new green leaves which turn a dark, blue-green and are uniquely heart-shaped. C. canadensis often has a large crop of 2-4 inch seedpods that some find unappealing in the urban landscape.

Sassafras - young seedlings are usually unlobed but older trees add unique mitten-shaped leaves with two or three lobes. In addition to sassafras' value to wildlife, the tree provides wood and bark for a variety of commercial and domestic uses. Tea is brewed from the bark of roots. The leaves are used in thickening soups.

Sourwood - one of the first trees to turn colors in the Eastern forest. By late August it is common to see foliage of young sourwood trees along roadsides beginning to turn red. The fall color of sourwood is a striking red and orange and associated with blackgum and sassifras.

Sweetgum - sometimes called redgum, probably because of the red color of the older heartwood and its red fall leaves. Sweetgum grows from Connecticut southward throughout the East to central Florida and eastern Texas and is a very common commercial timber species of the South. Sweetgum is easy to identify in both summer and in winter. Look for the star-shaped leaf as foliage grows in the Spring and look for the dried seed balls in and under the tree.

Black walnut - used to be a very common old-growth forest tree. Black walnut wood is now relatively scarce and highly coveted, used mainly for high quality woodworking. The tree hates shade (intolerant)and best growth occurs in a sunny open location and a moist rich soil, common along stream banks in its native habitat.

Cedar, Atlantic white (Chamaecyparis thyoides), also called southern white-cedar, white-cedar, and swamp-cedar, is found most frequently in small dense stands in fresh water swamps and bogs. Heavy cutting for many commercial uses during this century has considerably reduced even the largest stands so that the total volume of this species growing stock is not currently known. It is still considered a commercially important single species in the major supply areas of North and South Carolina, Virginia, and Florida.

Cedar, Northern white is a slow growing native North American boreal tree. Arborvitae is its cultivated name and commercially sold and planted in yards throughout the United States. The tree is identified primarily by unique flat and filigree sprays made up of tiny, scaly leaves. The tree loves limestone areas and can take full sun to light shade.