Yes, New York City is a concrete jungle, but it's also an urban forest. To help you connect with the latter, we lead 14 unique walks to help you learn our most common tree species. Knowing them will make you a more observant naturalist, a better birder, or an all-round happier person. It's easier than you think and we're here to help.
See you in the park!
"Fabulous! I've been on many nature walks, but rarely are they this intelligent and entertaining."
– Emma Paske, birder & Dendro Laber
cucumber magnolia, Magnolia acuminata
white oak, Quercus alba
Getting the most out of your tree walk
Meeting Time: Please arrive 10 minutes before your start time. Walks will begin promptly at 5 minutes after the hour and routes may vary, making it difficult to find the group after we set off.
Weather Policy: Walks are rain or shine, unless lightening or high winds are present. Check the forecast and please come prepared. Tickets for cancellations will be credited toward a future walk of your choice or refunded upon request.
Come to Learn: Pure enjoyment is our #1 goal, but you're encouraged to bring a notebook, pen, and camera-phone. You'll receive far more information than you'll be able to recall later without them.
Note: All workshops are limited to 15 participants to ensure the highest quality experience and in order to be the least obtrusive to other visitors in the park's natural areas.
May Event Schedule
Four opportunities to brush up on your tree id skills this weekend, including in Prospect Park!
Friday, May 15
Evening, 6 – 8pm
Intro to Dendro
"Happy Hour"
Location: Central Park
West 77th St. entrance
Walk 1 of 12: An Introduction to Dendrology – An inspiring and relaxing way to learn the key concepts and terms used in dendrology, while being introduced to 10 of our urban parks’ most common trees. Though not required, if you're new to tree identification you may find the other walks in our series more enjoyable after first attending this overview and primer.
Sunday, May 17
Morning, 10am – 12
The Maples & Sycamore
Location: Central Park
West 77th St. entrance
Walk 3 of 12: Learn to identify 8 species of native and ornamental maples, in addition to several trees and shrubs commonly confused with maple, including: sweetgum, planetree/sycamore, and maple-leaf viburnum.
Afternoon, 1 – 3pm
The Oaks & Beech
Location: Central Park
West 77th St. entrance
Walk 2 of 12: Take a tour of the northeastern forest region’s 12 oak trees, while unpacking the differences between the red and white oak groups. Nothing beats seeing them all in a short period of time to highlight and contrast their distinct characteristics.
Friday, May 29
Evening, 6 – 8pm
Intro to Dendro
"Happy Hour"
Location: Central Park
West 77th St. entrance
Walk 1 of 12: An Introduction to Dendrology – An inspiring and relaxing way to learn the key concepts and terms used in dendrology, while being introduced to 10 of our urban parks’ most common trees. Though not required, if you're new to tree identification you may find the other walks in our series more enjoyable after first attending this overview and primer.
Saturday, May 30
Morning, 10am – 12
Conifers I:
The Pine Family
Location: Central Park
West 77th St. entrance
Walk 10 of 12: Make way for some needles and cones! This walk is dedicated to one of the three native conifer families in the U.S. and Canada, which includes more than just the pines alone. Trees covered: white pines (eastern white and Himalayan pine), yellow pines (pitch pine, Austrian pine), eastern hemlock, larch, Norway and Colorado blue spruce, cedar, and Douglas-fir. Trees of the cypress and yew families are covered in Conifers, Part 2.
Afternoon, 1 – 3pm
Conifers II:
The Cypress Family
Location: Central Park
West 77th St. entrance
Walk 11 of 12: We’ll cover several native and exotic species within the cypress family and yew family, which are the two conifer families in the U.S. and Canada outside of the dominant pine family. Trees covered include: eastern juniper (aka eastern red cedar), bald-cypress, dawn redwood, arborvitae, false-cypress, yew...and ginkgos (which is neither a conifer nor broadleaf tree!) The pine family (pines, spruces, firs, hemlock, etc) is covered in a separate walk, Conifers, Part 1.
Your Local Dendro Lab, NYC Guiding Team
Carey Russell, founder and senior guide
In a nutshell: I have a boundless enthusiasm for trees and science communication. I have a MS in forestry, am a Certified Interpretive Guide (NAI), master naturalist, licensed outdoor guide in New York State, and a member of the International Dendrology Society. My greatest pleasure comes from helping others rediscover nature in their daily lives.
My day job: I'm a photographer and filmmaker. Projects have taken me to India, Mongolia, Myanmar, Guatemala, and Antarctica. I recently published a book about the summer camps I attended in my youth. Please visit my creative projects site at careyrussell.com.
Pro-tip: Within a week, repeat the route or your walk and share as much as you can with a friend. Nothing takes learning to the next level quite like teaching something to another.
To learn more about outdoor ethics, please visit Leave No Trace
The Dendro Lab 100 Masterlist
This is a master list of the most common or noteworth trees within our local ecoregions of the North Atlantic Coastal Plain and Lower Hudson River Basin, which you'll be able to identify after completeing the series of Dendro Lab walks.
Oak & Beech Tour
northern red oak, Quercus rubra
pin oak, Quercus palustris
willow oak, Quercus phellos
shingle oak, Quercus imbricaria
black oak, Quercus velutina
white oak, Quercus alba
swamp white oak, Quercus bicolor
bur oak, Quercus macrocarpa
chestnut oak, Quercus montana
American beech, Fagus grandifolia
European beech, Fagus sylvatica
Turkey oak, Quercus cerris
The Maples vs. Sycamore
red maple, Acer rubrum
sugar maple, Acer saccharum
Norway maple, Acer platanoides
sycamore maple, Acer pseudoplatanus
Japanese maple, Acer japonicum
striped maple, Acer pensylvanicum
American sycamore, Platanus occidentalis
hybrid planetree, Platanus x acerifolia
sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua
sassafras, Sassafras albidum
mapleleaf viburnum, Viburnum acerifolium
arrowwood viburnum, Viburnum dentatum
Elms, Mulberries, & Lindens
American elm, Ulmus americana
slippery elm, Ulmus rubra
European field elm, Ulmus minor
Siberian elm, Ulmus pumila
Chinese elm, Ulmus parvifolia
sugarberry, Celtis occidentalis
Japanese zelkova, Zelkova serrata
red mulberry, Morus rubra
white mulberry, Morus alba
American linden, Tilia americana
silver linden, Tilia tomentosa
American witch-hazel, Hamamelis virginiana
Cherries, Apples, & Hawthorns
black cherry, Prunus serotina
Yoshino cherry, Prunus x yedoensis
Kwanzan cherry, Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’
crabapple, Malus spp.
hawthorn, Crataegus spp.
serviceberry/shadbush, Amelanchier spp.
Callery pear, Pyrus calleryana ‘Bradford’
wild rose, Rosa spp.
multiflora rose, Rosa multiflora
blackberry, Rubus spp.
wineberry, Rubus phoenicolasius
Compound Leaves I:
Legumes, Elderberry, & Tree-of-Heaven
honey locust, Gleditsia triacanthos
black locust, Robinia pseudo-acacia
Japanese pagoda tree, Styphnolobium japonicum
Kentucky-coffee tree, Gymnocladus dioicus
American elderberry, Sambucus canadensis
tree-of-heaven, Ailanthus altissima
Amur corktree, Phellodendron amurense
golden rain-tree, Koelreuteria paniculata
poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans
Virginia creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Compound Leaves II:
Hickory, Ash, Buckeye, & Sumac
bitternut hickory, Carya cordiformis
shagbark hickory, Carya ovata
black walnut, Juglans nigra
green ash, Fraxinus pennsylvanica
European horse-chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum
yellow buckeye, Aesculus flava
bottlebrush buckeye, Aesculus parviflora
smooth sumac, Rhus glabra
staghorn sumac, Rhus typhina
winged sumac, R. copallinum
Simple Leaves with Entire Margins
eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis
northern catalpa, Catalpa speciosa
spicebush, Lindera benzoin
tulip tree, Liriodendron tulipifera
euonymous, Euonymous spp.
cornelian dogwood, Cornus mas
rhododendron, Rhododendron spp.
azalea, Rhododendron spp.
mountain-laurel, Kalmia latifolia
cucumber magnolia, Magnolia acuminata
saucer magnolia, Magnolia x soulangeana
black tupelo, Nyssa sylvatica
Japanese knotweed, Reynoutria japonica
Birch, Holly, and Willow Families
river birch, Betula nigra
black birch, Betula lenta
grey birch, Betula populifolia
yellow birch, Betula allegheniensis
paper/white birch, Betula papyrifera
American hornbeam, Carpinus caroliniana
European hornbeam, Carpinus betulus
eastern hophornbeam, Ostrya virginiana
smooth alder, Alnus serrulata
American holly, Ilex opaca
winterberry holly, Ilex verticillata
eastern cottonwood, Populus deltoides
willow, Salix spp.
Conifers I: The Pine Family
eastern white pine, Pinus strobes
Himalayan pine, Pinus wallichiana
Austrian pine, Pinus nigra
pitch pine, Pinus rigida
eastern-hemlock, Tsuga canadensis
Norway spruce, Picea abies
balsam fir, Abies balsamea
true cedar, Cedrus sp.
larch, Larix sp.
Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii
Conifers II: The Cypress Family +
eastern juniper, Juniperus virginiana
Chinese juniper, Juniperus chinensis
dawn redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides
bald cypress, Taxodium distichum
American arborvitae, Thuja occidentalis
Oriental arborvitae, Platycladus orientalis
Japanese cryptomeria, Cryptomeria japonica
Leyland cypress, Cupresssus x leylandii
+ yew, Taxus sp.
+ ginkgo, Ginkgo biloba
