Spruce, Pine, Fir, and Douglas Fir Trees: A Guide to Distinguishing Evergreens

Hardwoods vs Softwoods as Firewood

In the realm of evergreen trees, the distinction between spruces, pines, firs, and Douglas firs may seem elusive, as they share the timeless allure of coniferous beauty. However, subtle differences in needle arrangements, textures, and cone characteristics provide valuable clues to unveil the identity of these majestic trees on your property.

Identifying Pines Trees:

pine tree pine cone

Pine trees are characterized by needle clusters ranging from 2 to 5, depending on the species. Notably, pines never exhibit singular needles. Distinguishing them further, pines boast canopies with less dense needle coverage compared to firs and spruces. Examining their cones reveals a sturdier and more woody texture compared to their coniferous counterparts.

 

 

 

Identifying Spruce Trees:

spruce tree cone

Spruces stand out with needles that emerge individually from the branch, presenting a singular, squared appearance. Run your fingers along spruce needles, and you’ll notice their sharp points. Additionally, the needles of spruces can be easily rolled between your fingers, enhancing their distinct texture. When observing their cones, spruces exhibit a softer feel and thinner scales, giving them a more flexible and bendable nature.

 

 

Identifying Douglas-Fir and True Firs:

douglas fir cones

Both Douglas-fir and true fir trees share the characteristic of having singular needles extending from the branch. However, distinguishing between them involves the texture of the needles. Fir needles are flat and lack the rigidity found in spruce needles. Unlike spruces, fir needles are not easily rolled between your fingers, offering a softer touch. When handling their cones, firs display a similar flexibility, featuring softer scales that set them apart from the sturdier cones of pines. Fir cones also have a bract that sticks down between the scales which makes them distinctive. 

Understanding these nuanced differences in coniferous trees becomes not only an aesthetic pursuit but also a practical skill. Identifying these evergreens proves valuable when planning landscape designs or seeking arborist advice on potential pests and diseases that may impact them. With this knowledge, you can embark on a journey of appreciating and caring for the diverse tapestry of evergreen wonders that grace your surroundings.

 

 

What is the difference between Hardwood and Softwood Trees?

Hardwood and softwood, while terms often associated with the density of wood, actually refer to two distinct types of trees. Hardwoods come from deciduous trees that shed their leaves annually, such as oak, maple, and cherry. Softwoods, on the other hand, are derived from coniferous, evergreen trees like pine, spruce, and cedar. The distinction between the two lies in the structure of the trees and the types of seeds they produce rather than the hardness of the wood. 

Hardwoods are known for their dense and durable composition, making them well-suited for a variety of applications. Commonly used in furniture construction, hardwoods contribute to pieces with a timeless and sturdy quality. Oak, for instance, is prized for its strength and beautiful grain patterns. Maple is favored for its light color and fine texture, often used in cabinets and flooring. In contrast, softwoods, with their more porous and lightweight characteristics, find extensive use in construction, particularly for framing, decking, and various outdoor applications. Softwood lumber is often employed in building structures due to its affordability and versatility.

While both hardwoods and softwoods serve diverse purposes, understanding their unique properties allows for informed decision-making in selecting the right type of wood for a specific project. Whether crafting fine furniture with hardwoods or constructing outdoor structures with softwoods, each type brings its own set of advantages and aesthetic qualities to the world of woodworking and construction.

 

Hardwoods vs Softwoods as Firewood

When it comes to firewood, the distinction between hardwoods and softwoods is crucial. Softwoods ignite more quickly, making them excellent for use as fire starters. On the other hand, hardwoods burn at a slower and more sustained pace, making them the ideal choice for adding to the fireplace before retiring for the night. The difference in burn rates between these two types of wood allows for strategic use based on specific needs, whether it’s for quickly establishing a warm fire or ensuring a longer-lasting source of heat.

*Important note: If stacking large amounts of firewood outside, only kiln dried firewood will prevent the spread of EAB Emerald ash borer to near by ash trees. 

Being able to identify these different trees can be useful in planning for planting a new tree in your landscape or when consulting an arborist about certain pests and diseases that may affect them.

Are you interested in Planting Trees near your home? Splintered Forest Arborists can help determine the best trees to plant on your property with a Plant Health Care assessment of your land. Contact Splintered Forest Plant Health Care today to set up a free estimate for Tree Planting.  

 

Sources:

https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2005/nov/061401.htm

https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-80

 

 

‘Tis the season for holiday festivities and Christmas trees!  In order to maximize the enjoyment time, many families like to put out their Christmas trees as early as possible, but if you don’t have a fake tree that means trying to keep a real tree alive. 

If properly cared for a Christmas tree can last for weeks, but it all starts with where you buy it or cut it.  The best method for retrieval is to cut the tree yourself aiming to do so a few weeks before Christmas.  We know that cutting your own isn’t always a feasible option though so if you’re choosing a pre-cut tree from a local nursery or tree farm, make sure it was cut recently.  

What To Look For?

You can do this by brushing your hand across the needles to see how many fall off and how soft and flexible they are.  If the needles fall off with a simple brush of your hand that is a good indication that it has been awhile since the tree was cut.  A good tree will have flexible needles that don’t fall off and will have a decent weight to it, meaning it hasn’t lost all of its water yet. 

The second step is to make sure the cut on your tree is both clean and flat. A clean flat surface will allow the vascular system to pull water up from the tree stand. This also helps to remove any dirt or hardened sap that could have found its way onto the bottom. 

Also, placement of your tree is also key.  Avoid putting your tree near air vents or heat sources that can cause water to evaporate unnecessarily from the needles.  Make sure to continually refill the tree stand with water to keep the tree from running out.

And lastly, always remember to dispose of your tree should needles start excessively dropping.  A dry tree is not safe and can be a fire hazard! 

Ash trees are a popular native tree species in the United States and are often planted as street or landscape trees. Ash trees are part of the Fraxinus genus and there are various species of ash trees in Colorado, including green ash and white ash. It is common to confuse an Ash tree with various other trees that look similar, such as black walnut, maple, boxelder, hickory, or dogwood trees. To correctly identify ash trees, you will need to closely examine various parts of the tree.

Ash Tree Branches

To start identifying an ash tree, you can look at its branches. You can either pick up a dead stick that has fallen to the ground or pull down a branch so you can get a close look at it. Check to see if the branches have opposite branching. This means that when branches grow from the main branch, they all start at the same position. Other trees feature alternate branching, with branches growing from the main branch alternating left and right. For example, maple, dogwood, and boxelder trees have opposite branching, while oak, cottonwood, and hickory trees have alternating branches. You can also look for fresh branch buds. On ash trees, the buds will be directly across from or opposite each other.

Ash tree leaves

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Ash Tree Leaves

Another way to confirm that you have an ash tree is to look at its leaves. The leaf structure of an ash tree is compound rather than single.  From this point you can count the number of leaves. You will either see a single leaf or 5 to 7 (some varieties have up to 11) smaller leaflets that branch out from it. A single leaf tree, such as a maple tree, has one big leaf that extends from the branch. Both ash trees and boxelder trees have compound leaves, so be careful with getting them confused. Another characteristic of ash tree leaves is that they have either smooth or finely toothed edges.

Ash Tree BarkIdentify ash tree bark - https://splinteredforesttreeservices.com/useful-tree-service-resources/

If you are looking at a mature ash tree, the bark can help with identification, too. Ash trees will have a diamond-shaped bark pattern on both white ash and green ash trees. This helps differentiate them from maple trees. Young ash trees may not have this distinctive bark pattern, but you should be able to rely on other characteristics if this is the case.

Ash Tree Seeds

Ash tree pods

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An ash tree will have either light green or brown clusters of seeds (known as a Samara). The seeds on an ash tree are paddle-shaped and resemble small leaves and dangle from the tree in big clusters. Don’t assume that a tree that lacks seeds isn’t an ash tree. Some ash trees are seedless. Only in late autumn and early winter can seed clusters develop. Boxelder/maple seeds are similarly clustered, although they resemble wings rather than paddles.

Why Is Identifying Ash Trees Important?

Knowing whether or not you have an ash tree on your property is important, especially in the state of Colorado. The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) made its way to Colorado in 2013, and this pest has become a serious threat to ash trees. If you have an ash tree that has been infested with the Emerald Ash Borer, you will want to contact a professional to treat infected trees as soon as possible. EAB can be prevented, so if you live within 15 miles of a known EAB infestation, you may want to consider treating your ash trees.

Contact Splintered Forest For Your Tree Needs

If you’re having issues with your ash trees or any other type of tree on your property, Splintered Forest can help. Our crew includes ISA Certified Arborists, experienced tree climbers, and expert tree fellers. If you are seeing emerald ash borer signs of damage, contact us today to schedule your free, no obligation estimate.

Ways To Recycle Household Items


Every year, on the April 22ndEarth Day is held to help demonstrate and promote environmental protection. Since 1970, countries worldwide have celebrated and individuals are encouraged to participate in Earth Day activities. We feel privileged everyday that we can to help mother earth with tree care for our customers. It’s Earth Day everyday! We are learning more and more that everyone can make a difference by planting trees. While Splintered Forest strives to make an impact by sending tips about tree care to our customers and we also make environmentally conscious decisions by using wood recyclers and giving away firewood, we thought we would research other (maybe not as well known) but five important ways to recycle.

1) Markers

Crayola partners with schools across North America to help kids understand their role in protecting the environment and save markers from going to the landfill with the Crayola ColorCycle Program.  The steps to participate are easy:

For more information about starting the program at your school, visit Crayola ColorCycle.

2) Plastic Bags

According the US EPA, Americans use more than 380 billion plastic bags and wraps each year.  Since plastic bags are petroleum-based, they do not biodegrade and it is estimated that less than 5% off plastics are recycled worldwide.  How can you help?  Utilize local recycle bins at local retailers such as King Soopers, Safeway and Walmart to recycle your plastic bags.  Some helpful tips:

Need help finding a place to recycle your plastic bags?  Visit Earth911 for locations near you!

3) Bathroom Products

Many people overlook their bathroom products as items that can be recycled. Generally, plastic bottles that are marked with a #1 or #2 can be accepted in the household recycling.  To help encourage bathroom recycling, participating CVS locations are giving away a bin with a qualifying purchase.

Items such as toothpaste containers and toothbrushes do not qualify for household recycling, but programs such as TerraCycle have created mail-in programs for these items.

Perhaps you are ready to skip the containers all together?  Companies are now creating items such as toothpaste and shampoo tablets to help eliminate this packaging waste.

4) Makeup

MAC encourages their customers to recycle the “primary packaging” (what actually holds the product) of makeup such as lipstick, lash cases, blush compacts and eye shadow pots through their Back-to-MAC Program.  Return six MAC makeup containers to their store and receive a free lipstick (they will also accept other brand items for recycling, but they won’t qualify for the free item)!

Other companies also encouraging recycling include:

5) Electronic Recycling 

Local Best Buy stores offer recycling of your electronic items including:

  • TV’s (tube TVs under 32” and flatpanels under 50”)
  • Computers and tablets (monitors may be subject to a $25 fee)
  • Cell phones, radios, audio equipment
  • Ink and toner
  • Cameras
  • Vacuums (stick, upright and robot)
  • And much more

Households are limited to three items per day.  To learn more about what they accept visit their website.

6)
 Rechargeable Batteries

The Home Depot partnered with Call to Recycle to offer recycling of rechargeable batteries to customers.  Batteries commonly found in traditional household items (cordless power tools, laptops, remote control toys, digital cameras, etc) are all eligible to be recycled at participating stores.  Please note, batteries must be under 11 pounds.

Have you heard of some of these programs?  Know of other programs that allow recycling of common, household items? Share them with us!

To find your nearest drop off location, visit Call2Recycle.

Learn more about Tree Planting Services from Splintered Forest.

 

When it comes to needing Denver tree services in the winter, we know that a snowstorm with lots of moisture can just as easily be followed by a weeks-long drought. It might look like your trees are hibernating—especially when they have no leaves—but did you know that tree roots still grow during the winter?

Whether you have new or established trees, you want to make sure they make it to the spring. The recommendations for watering trees in Colorado is different from many other parts of the country because of our unique semi-arid conditions. Even if it snows, trees don’t get much water from that—approximately a half-inch of water for every foot of snow.


When there are long dry periods during the Winter, plant root systems can become compromised. This can weaken the entire plant, making it more susceptible to insect infestations, or tree diseases


Read on for what you need to do to keep your trees healthy through the winter months.

Trees That Are Newly Planted

The general rule of thumb for new trees is that as long as there is snow in the winter, watering is probably not necessary. It’s more important be make sure your tree has plenty of water before the ground freezes. You probably won’t have to water them again until springtime.

There is an exception to this rule, however: If the winter is so mild the ground doesn’t freeze, your newly planted trees might need to be topped off with a bit more water. If your Evergreens start looking a bit brown, they might be thirsty—so go ahead and give them a drink. You might also water once or twice a month if there is a drought and temperatures are warm (above freezing).

Trees That Are Well Established

As mentioned previously, if your Evergreens—regardless of age—are starting to get brown needles, you should probably water them. If they look green, they are probably just fine.

Watering Instructions For Your Trees

Keep an eye on your trees during extended dry periods where there is no snow cover; you may want to plan on watering once or twice a month. It might seem alike a hassle to drag out the garden house in the middle of winter, but if your trees don’t get enough moisture, they may be in bad shape next summer. Root damage can affect the entire plant, and you might be in for an unpleasant surprise come spring.

The CSU extension website has the following recommendations for fall and winter watering:

If you have questions about taking care of your trees this winter, contact the experts at Splintered Forest Tree Services in Denver or Evergreen. Call us today!