Gloucester is a rural county with a lot of woodland. Many of us live on and care for several acres of combined woods, open fields, and water frontage. Some residents manage more than several acres, much of which is planted in hardwoods, evergreens, or a combination of both.

If your home property contains numerous trees, can you identify each species in order to provide the most healthful environment for your woodlands? Unless you have a degree in dendrology, are a professional forester or arborist, or spend most of your waking hours wandering in the woods, probably not.

Can you identify Virginia native trees from introduced species, and can you separate native Coastal Virginia native trees from trees native to the mountains of Virginia? I can’t always do that, either. Fortunately, help is available in both book and website form.

As you learn to recognize the characteristics of a specific species, you can more readily identify many of the hardwood trees on your property, and q...