While the slopes may be covered in snow, the forest is full of life. Whether you’re kicking back on the lift, taking a breather on the trail or skiing through the woods, learning to identify trees can add a whole new layer to your mountain experience! Connect with your landscape and appreciate the diversity of our forests. In this guide, we’ll explore five iconic trees you can easily spot around Sugarbush during the winter: fir, spruce, maple, birch and beech.
Tree ID Basics
Before you start spotting trees, it’s helpful to know a few basics about how to tell them apart. For all intents and purposes, there are two main categories of trees: conifers and deciduous trees. Conifers, also known as evergreens (or Christmas trees) like fir and spruce, come from trees that typically have needles and cones. Deciduous trees, like maple, birch, and beech, have distinct bark characteristics and branching structures that set them apart. These trees drop their leaves in the fall and re-grow them in the spring.
Other key traits to look for when identifying trees from the slopes include:
- Elevation and Location: Different tree species grow at different elevations, so knowing where you are on the mountain can also help you narrow down what trees you’re looking at.
- Shape: The overall silhouette of the tree can provide clues. Evergreen trees like firs and spruces often have narrow, conical shapes, while hardwoods tend to have broader, more irregular shapes.
- Bark: The texture and color of bark can vary widely among species and help you identify trees even in winter when their needles are gone.
- Needles and Cones: For evergreens, the shape, length, and arrangement of needles are crucial identifiers. Cones are another giveaway, especially in species like fir and spruce.
Evergreen Tree Identification (Fir and Spruce)
1. Fir Trees (genus: Abies)
The fir tree is a classic evergreen with a distinct appearance, easily recognized by its conical shape and soft, flat needles. These are your classic Christmas trees. Here in Vermont we have the Balsam Fir, which grows at high elevation. Fir needles are flat and soft. Fir cones grow upward and are a dead giveaway to identifying them from the lift.
- Where to find them: Along the Summit Chair at Mt Ellen, all along the sides of Black Diamond Rush. Look for the iconic upright cones!
2. Spruce Trees (genus: Picea)
Vermont has several species of spruce trees, the most common at Sugarbush are Black and Red Spruce. Like fir, spruce trees are also evergreens, with square and sharp needles. Spruce trees can be found all over the mountain, as they are an adaptable species, often growing with deciduous trees like birch. Spruce cones, unlike fir, grown downward.
- Where to find them: All along the uphill side of Valley House Traverse.
Quick Tip: Spruce and fir can look similar. When you’re in the woods and want to tell them apart, give the tree a quick handshake test. If the tree feels like you’re shaking hands with a “sharp, prickly” person, it’s probably a spruce. If it feels softer, like you’re shaking hands with someone with a more relaxed grip, it’s likely a fir!
Hardwood Tree Identification (Maple, Birch, and Beech)
1. Maple Trees (genus: Acer)
Maple trees are the most recognizable in the fall with their fiery displays. In the winter they often recognizable by their broad, irregular shape with smooth grayish-brown bark with vertical lines running up the trunk. We have several species of maple, but the most recognizable is the classic Sugar Maple. Maples thrive in lower to mid-elevations, often along the edges of the forest, where they get plenty of sunlight
- Where to find them: Burly Maple Glades at Lincoln Peak!
2. Birch Trees (genus: Betula)
Birch trees are distinctive for their peeling bark. Here at Sugarbush we have a couple of different species, but the most recognizable if the Paper Birch, with its iconic white peeling bark. Birches tend to grow in lower elevations, often in forests mixed with other hardwoods. They are also commonly found in places that were once disturbed, such as ski slopes or areas that have been logged in the past.
- Where to find them: Big Birch Glades at Lincoln Peak!
3. Beech Trees (genus: Fagus)
Beech trees are often recognizable by their smooth gray bark. The bark tends to be a lighter color compared to other hardwoods. Beech trees tend to be found in lower to mid-elevations. They prefer rich, moist soils, and their nuts provide a key food source to bears in the fall! The smoothness and color of the bark are key identifiers in the winter months.
Where to find them: Gate House Side, top of Sleeper Chutes!
Identifying trees while skiing or riding the chairlift is a fun way to connect with nature, even in the colder months (and let’s be honest, a great way to kill some time on the lift.) Whether you’re looking for the sharp needles of a spruce, the smooth bark of a beech, or the distinctive cones of a fir, there’s a lot to observe while cruising the slopes! Next time you’re on the mountain, take a moment to look around and try to identify the trees that make up our forested landscape.