Ecology lab - week 2

This gorgeous morning was the second section of the ecology lab.  We saw two more interesting trees that I thought was worth photographing.

Blue-Beech (Carpinus caroliniana) - the current existing trees on the drumlin are fairly small, the largest a student measured was 28 cm in circumference.  Some people call them "muscle trees" because of the muscle-like ridges on the trunks.  Even though it's call Blue-Beech, it is actually in the Birch family while the American Beech is a true beech belonging in the Beech family.  Confusing, I know.

Ecology Lab - identifying trees

The invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has been making its northward invasion into eastern Canada since 2002.  It affects many tree species, including the ashes (Fraxinus spp.) and the American Beech (Fagus grandifolia).  The latest Advanced Ecology lab asks the students to identify the trees on the South Drumlin at Trent University, and then predict what surrounding tree species will replace the ash and beech trees if EAB arrive at the site and the trees are killed by EAB.

Since it's winter, identifying trees is mainly done based on its bark and buds, and not so much on its leaves.

Beech (Fagus grandifolia) - bark is thin, smooth, and people usually like to carve their names on it.