How to identify trees uk
The Guide to British Trees: ID and Facts
Everything you need to know about British trees. From identification, folklore and history to the pests and diseases that threaten them.
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Trees woods and wildlife
A-Z of British trees
Explore our simple A-Z identification guide to the trees of Britain, from natives to naturalised and widely planted non-native species. You'll find images, tree descriptions and information on where you're likely to find them.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Identify trees with our Tree ID app
Download our free Tree ID app for Android and iPhone to identify the UK's native and non-native trees. It's an A-Z tree guide in your pocket.
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Trees woods and wildlife
How to identify trees
All trees have clues and features that can help with identification.
You just need to know what to look out for with our quick guide.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Tree pests and diseases
Learn more about the pests and diseases threatening our trees. Find out how to spot them, the symptoms and outlook, and how you can help.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Ancient trees
Ancient trees are irreplaceable. Steeped in history, these impressive trees have been standing tall for hundreds of years and are invaluable homes for wildlife.
Buy British trees from our shop
We have single trees and tree packs to meet your needs, from wildlife to woodfuel. Delivery is free.
Shop now
Why we need more trees
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Trees woods and wildlife
How trees fight climate change
Planting more trees is the best climate change solution.
Find out how trees lock up carbon and how many we need to reach the UK's carbon net zero target by 2050.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Can woods and trees reduce flooding?
Find out how native trees and woods can help alleviate the devastating effects of climate change.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Why are trees important for biodiversity?
Woodland is home to a wealth of wildlife. If we don't protect what we have left and work to create woodlands of the future, we stand to lose more than just trees.
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Plant trees
Agroforestry benefits nature, climate and farming
Integrating trees in arable crops and livestock systems makes agroforestry a win win for sustainable food production and the natural environment.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Why woods are good for our health and wellbeing
Along with improving our quality of life, woods and green spaces can help make us physically and mentally healthier.
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Protecting trees and woods
What urban trees do for us
They green our cities. They clean our air. They fight the effects of climate change. They even increase the value of our houses. Urban woods and trees do so much for people, wildlife and our economy.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Tackling air pollution with trees
Air pollution can have a serious impact on our health, global climate and biodiversity, but there are ways to reduce it. Discover the role trees have to play.
Test your tree knowledge
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Visiting woods
Find a wood near you
Search thousands of woods across the UK and gather information on the local facilities, features, wildlife and history in the area.
Find a wood
How to Identify Trees: A Simple Guide
All trees have clues and features that can help with identification. You just need to know what to look out for. This quick guide to tree identification will give you a few basic hints and tips.
Learn how to identify trees with our top tips on what to look out for.
Credit: Michael Heffernan / WTML
Basic tree identification tips
The UK has at least fifty species of native trees and shrubs, and many more species of introduced non-native trees.
There are lots of features that give you clues to what species it is.
- Look at the leaves or needles. Is it a broadleaf (usually deciduous) or is it a conifer (usually with needles or scales)?
- Different features will be visible through the seasons.
In winter, for broadleaf trees, you'll have to use twigs, leaf buds and bark. - Take notice of the surrounding area such as hedgerows, fields, parks, woodland or close to water. Some species are more likely to grow near water, in scrubland, parkland or in woodland.
- Piece the clues together, including the overall shape and size of the tree, bark, leaves or needles, flowers, fruits, leaf buds and twigs. The more features you can see, the more accurate your identification will be.
Identify British trees with our free app
Get an A-Z guide of trees by downloading our free tree ID app for Android and iOS.
Download the app
Overall appearance, size and shape
Size and shape
Some trees have a distinctive look that can be used to identify them, especially from a distance.
Compare a silver birch, with its narrow shape and light and airy crown, to the broadly spreading crown of an oak.
Overall shape is also useful when identifying conifers. The layers of horizontally spreading branches of a mature cedar of Lebanon contrast with the sparsely branched Scot’s pine or densely bushy yew.
Look for signs of management which can affect the shape. Trees like hazel, hornbeam, beech and willow may have been coppiced or pollarded which can create a tree with many stems, rather than a tall, single trunk.
Top tip
The location of a tree affects its appearance and shape. Trees in woodland often have narrower crowns compared to trees in parks with lots of space around them.
Bark
Take a closer look at the appearance, texture, markings and colour of the bark.
- Does it have a pattern of ridges or depressions, peeling flakes or is it fissured, smooth or shiny?
- Is it grey, white, red or green?
- Bark develops over time as a tree ages.
Top tip
Look at the bark all the way up the tree as it can vary between the base and the crown.
Leaves and needles
Leaf type, shape, appearance, texture and colour are all key characteristics when identifying trees.
They are also often the most obvious feature, particularly in spring and summer. The needles and scales of conifers are also considered types of leaves.
Broadleaves
The leaves of broadleaved trees fall into two basic types - simple and compound.
Credit: Philippe Clement / naturepl.com
Simple leaves
Leaves are whole and are not divided right to the central leaf vein, such as apple or birch. The edges of some simple leaves can be indented or lobed, such as sycamore, field maple and hawthorn, so take care not to mistake these for compound leaves.
Lime leaves are a simple and heart-shaped leaf with a pointed tip.
Credit: WTML / Ben Lee
Compound leaves - pinnate
Compound leaves fall into one of two categories - pinnate and palmate.
Pinnate are feather-shaped where leaflets are attached in pairs along the central vein such as rowan, ash and elder.
Credit: Christine Whitehead / Alamy Stock Photo
Compound leaves - palmate
These are palm-shaped, like the outstretched fingers of a hand. Horse chestnut has palmately compound leaves. Be careful not to mistake Acer species such as sycamore and field maple as having palmately compound leaves - they are actually simple with a lobed margin.
Top tip
Take notice of the colour, texture and edges of leaves (do they have serrations?).
In autumn, some species have leaves that turn spectacular autumn colours. Guelder rose and field maple often turn a vivid orange or red.
Conifers
If the foliage on the tree is needles or scales then you are probably looking at a conifer. These include trees in the pine, fir, cypress, larch and spruce families.
Most conifer trees have needles or scales present all year that can be used for identification. One of the few exceptions is European larch which loses its needles in winter.
Conifers can be separated into two broad groups.
Credit: WTML / Margaret Barton
Needles
Pines, spruces, firs, cedars and larches have needles. They can be different shapes, sizes and be arranged differently on twigs. Flattened needles could mean a yew or whorls of three needles juniper.
Larch needles are arranged in clusters.
Credit: FLPA / Alamy Stock Photo
Scales
Species of the cypress family have scales. These are flattened and shield-shaped that overlap on the twig.
Top tip
Leaves and needles are often the most useful clues for identifying trees. Look closely at the type, shape, edges and arrangement of them.
Flowers
Many trees only bloom at a particular time during the year but if you can see flowers, usually in the spring, it can be another helpful to help with tree identification.
Broadleaf trees have flowers that contain the reproductive organs, and most conifers have cones for reproduction. Here are some basic types.
- Hermaphroditic trees, such as cherries, produce flowers with both male and female parts.
- Monoecious trees, such as alder, bear separate male and female flowers on the same tree.
- Dioecious trees, for instance holly and yew, have separate male and female trees.
Top tip
What time of year is the tree flowering? Blackthorn blooms in late winter, before the leaves have come out. But hawthorn flowers much later on in May, once its leaves are out.
Fruits and seeds
At the right time of year fruits and seeds are a great character to help with identification. They vary in shape, appearance and size from hard nuts to soft berries.
Look at the colour and feel the texture of the outer surface of the fruit. Is it smooth, hairy, prickly, rough or papery, soft, hard or dry?
Consider opening fruits up to reveal the seeds inside, which can also be a useful identifying feature. Take note of whether fruits or seeds appear singly, such as crab apples, or in groups like the umbrella-like clusters of elderberries.
Fruits of broadleaved trees
The fruit types of broadleaf trees vary greatly and include samaras, nuts, catkins, berries, stone fruits, apples or pears, capsules and cones.
Fruits of coniferous trees
Conifers have a fruit that is known as a cone which contains the seeds.
Top tip
Out of season you can look around the base of the tree to find old fruits or seeds that may help. But bear in mind they may have come from a neighbouring tree.
Leaf buds and twigs
In winter you’ll find that there aren’t many features to help with identification of deciduous trees, but leaf buds and twigs can reveal some distinctive clues.
Leaf bud arrangement, shape and appearance
Buds are usually on twigs throughout winter. When they are at the end of the twig they are called terminal buds and are often the largest buds.
Those growing along the twig are lateral buds and these can have one of three main arrangements.
Twigs
Look at the texture of the twigs and whether they are smooth or hairy. Spines could indicate you’re looking at hawthorn or blackthorn and if it has corky ribs you may be looking at alder.
Top tip
Use the features of twigs and buds in combination to help you identify the tree. For more tips on identifying winter trees see our blog how to identify trees in winter.
Trees woods and wildlife
A-Z of British trees
Explore our simple A-Z identification guide to the trees of Britain, from natives to naturalised and widely planted non-native species. You'll find images, tree descriptions and information on where you're likely to find them.
See the list
More on British tree identification
Trees woods and wildlife
A-Z of British trees
Our A-Z guide to British trees from native species to naturalised and widely planted non-natives.
Blog
Autumn leaf identification quiz: can you identify these 10 trees?
Helen Keating • 21 Sep 2020
Trees woods and wildlife
Identify trees with our Tree ID app
Our free Tree ID app for Android and iPhone helps you identify the UK's native and non-native trees. It's an A-Z tree guide in your pocket.
Blog
How to identify winter trees quiz - twigs, buds and silhouettes
Helen Keating • 17 Dec 2020
Blog
Summer tree identification: can you name these nine trees?
Helen Keating • 13 Jul 2020
Tree recognition applications
There are many kinds of trees in the world. And sometimes you want to quickly find out what kind of tree is now in front of you. To do this, you can find a knowledgeable person, or you can do it easier - install one of the softins, which I will discuss below.
NatureID
A cool application that allows you to recognize plants and trees using your smartphone. It can also tell if a plant is sick and even advise how to treat it.
NatureID has many helpful articles and videos with tips on how to properly care for a particular plant. There is even a section that shows plants that other users have already defined.
Download for iOS | Download for Android (Free, there is a paid subscription)
British tree identification
And this application will help you recognize a tree by its characteristics (leaf type, whether there are fruits or flowers, etc.) or saved trees. In general, as the name implies, here are trees that grow in the UK, but are also found in other countries.
Users can mark locations with their favorite trees. There is a large reference book with photographs, scientific and common names, descriptions of trees.
Download for iOS | Download for Android (Free)
City Trees
The tree recognition here is based on a database collected from various cities around the world.
That is, every tree in the city is marked on the map, and you can easily find out what kind it is. Unfortunately, many cities are not yet in the database, but it is possible to ask the developer to add your city by sending an email (look in section About ).
Download for iOS (Free)
Deciduous Trees 2.0 Lite
We can say that this is a "probe" of the full version of Deciduous Trees. With it, you can recognize almost any kind of coniferous plant. Simply indicate the traits that are most appropriate for your tree (for example, how long its needles are, their location, etc.).
There is also a Quiz section where you can test yourself on how good you are with trees.
Download for iOS (Free, paid version available)
Identitree Starter Kit
A well designed and easy to use app that uses Q&A as the recognition method. You will be asked questions, such as: how are the branches, shoots and veins on the leaves of the tree - alternately or opposite each other, does it have thorns or not, etc.
There is also an alphabetical directory of different types of trees, which provides brief information on each tree.
Download for iOS | Download for Android (Free)
tags: android iOS NatureID british tree identification City Trees Deciduous Trees Identity Starter KitIt is easy to plant a tree in England, but it is not always possible to cut it down - even on your own plot
If you think that the work of real estate lawyers ends when the client receives the keys to the house, then you are mistaken. At the last stage, the Stamp Duty is calculated and paid, the lawyers register you as a new owner of the property in the Land Registry. However, the work of RSL-LAW lawyers does not end there.
Many of the families we work with, after purchasing property in the UK, need the services of our family office, dealing with all non-legal issues.
In this article, we will tell you what to do if you receive a Planning Application Notification - a notification about construction that does not fit into your plans and can harm the environment.
What is Planning Application ?
Planning Application is a notification you as a property owner can receive in case someone in your neighborhood decides to start building. If your property is located in London, you can view the full version of the application on the website of the building authority, using the registration number of the paper you received by mail. The Planning and Building Control section will provide complete information about the planned construction: address, timing, construction plan and contacts of the foreman. In case of disagreement with the Planning Application, you can register a claim. The appeal is supported by supporting documents, the set of which will depend on the reason for your claim.
For example, you may need to connect a construction report from an inspector or an analysis from Tree Surgeon, but this is not necessary at all.
Who are Tree Surgeons ?
Many companies in the UK provide tree surgeons when it comes to examining the root system and the risks to your property if they are cut down. The specialist studies the territories adjacent to the location of the tree and issues a verdict in the form of a report, which can become a powerful tool in disputes with neighbors. In this particular case, we were faced with a situation where construction on a neighboring site could lead to the death of a tree.
What's the question
The tree that our client liked created a shade over the barbecue area and was a great decoration for the house. The problem is that a 25-year-old poplar, according to documents, grows on the territory of a neighbor who has applied for construction.
Often, neighbors have been suing for years to cut down a tree that allegedly interferes with them, but here the situation is the opposite, and RSL-LAW lawyers were faced with the task of preserving the neighbor's tree and proving that construction is contraindicated for it.
Trees under state protection
If your goal is to save a tree, whether it is yours or a neighbor's tree, you need to check whether it is under state protection. Tree Preservation Order is a legal protection of trees from self-cutting and destruction of roots without special permission from the municipality. Cutting down protected trees (even on one's own property) is strictly prohibited and may result in a fine ranging from £2,500 to £20,000.
To find out if a tree is under state protection, you need to go to the site of the construction department in the Tree Preservation Orders section and check which trees are protected and which are not by the first letter of the street.
Please note that each tree from this list is tied to a specific numbered plot. The list is constantly updated. The date of the last update is July 2017. If you did not find your site and a specific tree, this does not mean that it did not fall into the state protection program. This information can be verified by contacting the Arboriculture Team or the planning hotline.
Disputed Areas
A detailed site plan can be ordered from the Arboricultural Impact Assessment (this is done online) before filing an appeal with the building authority. Such a plan will not only show who exactly owns the tree, but also illustrate the radius of distribution of the root system. If it seems to you that the roots of the plant can be damaged during construction, such a document will dot the i's, preventing the start of construction work.
Decision in case
If the report and the root system distribution plan prove construction risks, then your appeal has every chance of success.
