In 1908 the Maine Forest Service released a booklet titled Forest Trees of Maine. In his 1910 Commissioner’s report, Forest Commissioner Edgar Ring wrote of the popularity of the new publication: “For the Forest Trees of Maine there has been a large and constant demand which will very soon exhaust the edition.

Possibly in order to meet the demands for this pamphlet it will be considered wise and money well spent to issue another edition.” Now, 100 years later and in its 14th edition, Forest Trees of Maine remains the Maine Forest Service’s most popular publication.

Since 1908, all editions of Forest Trees of Maine have had the same objective: to relate accurate information and to keep pace with new findings. As those who are familiar with Forest Trees of Maine will immediately notice, we have departed from the traditional format for this edition. This has allowed us to include color photographs, which have long been requested. For those who prefer the tried and true Forest Trees of Maine format, it will still be made available.

For the first time, range maps have been included. The maps are based on those of those of the legendary US Forest Service dendrologist, Dr. Elbert Little, who assisted with the 7th edition. The maps indicate the parts of the state where you are most likely to encounter each tree species. No map is perfect, and it is certainly possible to find a species outside of its indicated range.

The keys have been revised and, for the first time, a winter key has been included.To help you use the keys, sketches have been added to the glossary which illustrate many of the terms used. The keys are limited to the trees in the publication.

For information on more complete keys, see Selected References on page 174. The book contains information on 78 different tree species, including all of Maine’s commercially important native tree species, as well as a few of the more common and important introduced trees. As with previous editions, no attempt has been made to include all the species in complicated groups, such as willows and hawthorns.

When deciding which species to include in this edition,emphasis was placed on trees that occur in Maine’s forests.With a few exceptions (e.g., horsechestnut, blue spruce, black walnut), species limited to ornamental plantings were excluded.Other introduced species were included if they have been commonly used in forest plantations (e.g., Norway spruce, Scots pine) or have escaped cultivation and are reproducing in forested areas (e.g., black locust,Norway maple). Several species are included that occasionally grow large enough to be considered small trees (e.g., bear oak, witch hazel, rhododendron, mountain laurel), but are more commonly found as shrubs.

Scientific names in this publication follow the Integrated Taxonomic Information System database: www.itis.gov.
Historic photographs found throughout the book are from the Maine Forest Service Archives and the Maine State Museum.

Visit Forest Trees of Maine, Centennial Edition - 1908 to 2008 Download Page

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The Centennial Edition of the Forest Trees of Maine is dedicated to all the hardworking men and women who make their living in the Maine woods.

Forest Trees of Maine
First published in 1908 Revised 2008 (Fourteenth Edition)
Maine Forest Service
Department of Conservation
Maine Forest Service Phone: (207) 287-2791
E-mail: forestinfo@maine.gov
www.maineforestservice.gov

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction............................................................................................ 2
Forward by David Field .......................................................................... 3
History ................................................................................................... 4
A Few Precautions.................................................................................. 6
Winter Key........................................................................................... 10
Summer Key......................................................................................... 12
Glossary................................................................................................ 14
Tree Parts and Functions ...................................................................... 20
Autumn Coloration .............................................................................. 22
Forest Trees of Maine
Conifers ............................................................................................ 24
Broadleaves....................................................................................... 60
Selected References ............................................................................ 174
Index................................................................................................... 175

THE MAINE FOREST SERVICE
The Maine Forest Service was established in 1891 to ensure Maine’s citizens the greatest economic and social benefits from trees and forestlands of the State.

Part of the Department of Conservation since 1973, the primary responsibilities of the Maine Forest Service include:

• to develop through information, education, and formal publications a greater public awareness and appreciation of forests as Maine’s basic economy and renewable resource;
• to provide advice and assistance in forest management to woodland owners;
• to maintain and improve the scenic beauty, wildlife habitat, and recreational values of Maine;
• to encourage and promote appropriate forest land management practices; and...
• to protect the forest resource from fire, insects, diseases, and other natural enemies.

FOREWORD
I am privileged to be able to write a foreword for the centennial edition of The Forest Trees of Maine, this wonderful gift that the Maine Forest Service has provided for so long!

Suppose that someone invented a wonderful new machine. It can soak up the “greenhouse” gas carbon dioxide from the air and breathe out oxygen. It can pump huge amounts of water from the soil to reduce floods, while holding the soil together and helping to clean water that flows into streams and ponds. ...

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