Winter Tree Identification Workshop

Leaves are a wonderful aid to tree identification—but in our climate, they’re available for less than half the year. For the remainder of the year, trees reveal themselves through subtler but reliable traits: bark texture and pattern, bud shape and arrangement, twig structure, seed remnants, and overall growth form. Learning to recognize these features builds confidence and allows you to identify trees accurately in every season.

In this hands-on, two-hour guided walk, instructor Nat Levin will introduce participants to the most common native trees of Central New York using winter characteristics alone. Through careful observation and direct comparison, you’ll begin developing the visual literacy that makes tree identification both intuitive and rewarding. You’ll leave with practical skills to continue refining your tree identification practice throughout the year.