Winter, spring, summer, and fall⏤“taking to the woods” is a privilege worth savoring.

Growing up in rural Maine my friends and I spent almost every after-school hour walking the trails, learning the nooks of the woods around us. Out in the middle of nowhere (East Nowhere, we would joke), there really was nowhere else to go or anything else to do, so we adjusted to our simple life and limitless woods.

Tree hunting became an accidental hobby when I picked up a field guide at a local library book sale. I already owned a bird book and a butterfly book, but these were bookshelf books, the way some pets are indoor pets. I would occasionally pull them down to settle a point or identify a bird at my bird feeder, but that was it. The tree guide intrigued me though⏤hadn’t I already been admiring trees my whole life?

Trees are everywhere. I don’t have to perch myself on a hilltop with binoculars and wait for one to fly by. I don’t have to follow their tracks through the woods to catch a glimpse of one. They are at every turn, valley, and summit, and they are extremely important citizens of our planet. In the act of sustaining themselves, they sustain us and the very air we breathe. Their roots hold the soils together, preventing rivers from migrating and mountains from washing away. They provide protection from the sun, housing for many creatures, and natural building and heating materials. And⏤as it is my hobby to discover⏤they are wonderfully varied and beautiful creatures that often go entirely unnoticed.

What exactly is tree hunting? It can be any variation on the theme of watching trees change season to season, but for me, it is a semi-structured routine of identifying, examining, and recording the growth of a few of my favorite trees. There is the old grandfather tree 5 miles into my favorite walk, the young sapling growing along the river, and many more. Some shed their leaves in the fall, and some do not. Some are many decades old, and others are under five. Some produce acorns or nuts, and others make cones. The variety is astonishing. To tree hunt is to notice trees.

If you are interested in this natural adventure, below are some tips on how to get started. As with any learning process, great resources are essential. Visit your local library or bookstore for a tree guide suitable to your learning style and start anytime, anywhere.

Pick 10 Trees and Identify

Choose both coniferous and deciduous species. A tree field guide will help you to make correct identifications, as well as give you both the scientific and common names. Many guides cover the major tree types but local subspecies may have small variations that add to the challenge of identification. I generally make a quick identification on the spot and follow that up with a visit to the internet. Many universities have public access databases of local plant life. Comparing my drawings or clippings with expert photographs aids in the final determination. Over time, you will be able to quickly identify most local species. 

Sketch Trees in Tree Journal

Make a sketch of each tree, being sure to include leaf shape and bark pattern (some people take a rubbing of the tree bark using paper and a piece of charcoal). Careful observation will show that there are a great number of leaf shapes and that they can be categorized in such a way as to aid in identification. From what may at first seem an overwhelming variety of characteristics, recognizable patterns begin to emerge. Depending on what time of year you first visit a tree, it may be bearing cones or nuts or acorns, or flowers. Draw these as well. Record the height, diameter, and a rough description of its local environment. Journal keeping is an important part of learning, as it keeps observations organized for later reference. As well, it is a great item to pass down from older children to younger ones.

Follow Trees Through the Seasons

Trees are no more static than we are static. As we grow and age, they grow and age. Season to season, they struggle to reproduce themselves, bringing forth seed in a wide variety of manner. Watching trees seasonally helps you to notice these changes and understand how they fit into the overall lifecycle of the tree. Visiting these trees throughout the year is a sort of meditative pilgrimage. You will find yourself wondering how they stood up to that last great blizzard or lived through an overly dry summer. You will begin to appreciate the very struggle of life and be gently reminded that it is not only we who are challenged by the whims of Nature. 

It is amazing to consider that a flower must be both beautiful and fragrant to attract pollinators and that a seed cloaked in delicious fruit is more widely spread than those that are not. Tree hunting is a great starting point for learning about all of these things and much more. As well, it is a welcome and creative escape from the hectic pace of the workweek. Leave your cell phone behind. Forget about To-Do lists for a day. Get your exercise but exercise your brain as well. And if you struggle to find ways to engage your children in the natural world, this hobby can satisfy children’s intellectual curiosity and reward them with a more full appreciation of the “great green backdrop” that is our world. Enjoy.

Copyright 2023 Kesel Wilson (entirely, 100% human-created)

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