Tree species: what the forestry agencies record

This page reports what US federal publications say about trees. It does not identify trees from descriptions or photos, does not give a verdict on any tree and does not say what should be done with one. Each species below has its own page that sets out the same kinds of facts from the same sources, so the pages can be compared.

Where the facts come from

Four federal sources are used, and each page names the one behind each fact.

Silvics of North America. The two volumes of Agriculture Handbook 654 (Burns and Honkala, 1990) are on the Forest Service research library, with the hardwoods in volume 2 and the conifers in volume 1. Each chapter covers one species: native range, climate, soils, flowers and fruit, growth and yield, roots, special uses, and the damaging agents the authors list. Because the text dates from 1990, pest names appear as the handbook wrote them.
Wood Handbook. The Forest Products Laboratory's Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-282, 2021) describes the colour, weight and uses of commercial woods in chapter 2 and gives strength figures by species in Table 5-3b.
NRS-38. Research Note NRS-38 prints the average green weight of the wood of 156 North American species. The column in the table below is that figure in pounds per cubic foot, without bark, the same one used in the log weight calculator.
USDA PLANTS. The PLANTS Database records whether each species is native to Canada and the lower 48 states.

What these pages leave out

None of the four sources is an identification key, so the pages do not give look-alike tests. The regional identification sites are listed in the guide on tree identification sites by country. For how a tree is built and how it reacts to wounds, see how a tree works. Pests and diseases are named only as the handbook names them, with no treatment advice. Agencies list some pests as regulated: the guide to pests and diseases and the United States reporting page say where a suspected sighting goes.

Species compared

Species and scientific name	Native range, as Silvics states it	Green lb per cu ft (NRS-38)
American elm Ulmus americana	Cape Breton Island west to southern Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan; south to central Texas; east to central Florida	56
American sycamore Platanus occidentalis	Southwestern Maine west to New York, Ontario, Michigan and Wisconsin, south to Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, east to Florida and Georgia	52
Balsam fir Abies balsamea	Newfoundland and Labrador west to northwestern Alberta and southern Manitoba; northern Minnesota to Iowa, east through Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania to New England	45
Balsam poplar Populus balsamifera	Across North America along the northern limit of trees from Newfoundland, Labrador and Quebec west to Hudson Bay and Mackenzie Bay and northwest Alaska; south to the northern Great Lakes States and New York and Maine; local in the western mountains	40
Bigleaf maple Acer macrophyllum	Pacific Coast belt between latitude 33 and 51 degrees north, always within 300 km of the ocean, from near Sullivan Bay, British Columbia, to within 16 km of San Francisco Bay, with outlying groves to San Diego County and the Sierra Nevada	47
Black ash Fraxinus nigra	Western Newfoundland west to southeastern Manitoba and eastern North Dakota; south to Iowa; east to southern Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia; north from northern Virginia to Delaware and New Jersey	52
Black cherry Prunus serotina	Nova Scotia west to Quebec, Ontario, Michigan and Minnesota, south to Texas, east to central Florida	45
Black cottonwood Populus trichocarpa	Kodiak Island southeast through southeast Alaska and British Columbia to Washington and Oregon, mountains of southern California and northern Baja California; inland west of the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia, western Alberta, western Montana and northern Idaho	46
Black maple Acer nigrum	New England, New York and southern Quebec west through southern Ontario to central Michigan, northern Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota; south to northeastern Kansas and Missouri; east in Tennessee to western North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey	55
Black oak Quercus velutina	Southwestern Maine west through New York to southern Ontario, southeastern Minnesota and Iowa; south to eastern Nebraska, Kansas, central Oklahoma and eastern Texas; east to northwestern Florida and Georgia	64
Black spruce Picea mariana	Northern Massachusetts to northern Labrador on the Atlantic coast, west across Canada to the west coast of Alaska, with isolated southern patches in northern New Jersey, western Connecticut, Pennsylvania, southern Michigan, southern Wisconsin, southern Minnesota and southern Manitoba	35
Black tupelo Nyssa sylvatica	Southwestern Maine to New York, extreme southern Ontario, central Michigan, Illinois and central Missouri, south to eastern Oklahoma, eastern Texas and southern Florida; local in central and southern Mexico	58
Black walnut Juglans nigra	Western Vermont and Massachusetts through New York to southern Ontario, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska, south to western Oklahoma and central Texas, east to northwestern Florida and Georgia	57
Boxelder Acer negundo	Coast to coast and from Canada to Guatemala; in the United States from New York to central Florida, west to southern Texas, and northwest through the Plains to eastern Alberta, central Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and east in southern Ontario	50
Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa	Southern New Brunswick, central Maine, Vermont and southern Quebec west through Ontario to southern Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan, south to the Dakotas, central Nebraska, western Oklahoma and southeastern Texas, then northeast to Arkansas, central Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Connecticut	63
Chestnut oak Quercus montana	Southwestern Maine west through New York to extreme southern Ontario, southeastern Michigan, southern Indiana and Illinois, south to northeastern Mississippi, east to central Alabama and Georgia, then north to Delaware, mostly west of the Coastal Plain	63
Cucumbertree Magnolia acuminata	Mostly mountains from western New York and southern Ontario southwest to Ohio, southern Indiana and Illinois and southern Missouri, south to southeastern Oklahoma and Louisiana, east to northwest Florida and central Georgia	49
Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii	An inverted V from central British Columbia, with a coastal arm south to California and a Rocky Mountain arm south to Mexico	38
Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides	Along streams from southern Quebec west to North Dakota and southwestern Manitoba, south to central Texas, east to northwestern Florida and Georgia	50
Eastern hemlock Tsuga canadensis	Northeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin east through northern Michigan, south-central Ontario, southern Quebec and the Maritimes; New England and the middle Atlantic states south into northern Georgia and Alabama	50
Eastern redcedar Juniperus virginiana	The eastern half of the United States, except Maine, Florida, a narrow Gulf Coast strip and the higher Appalachians (Wood Handbook)	37
Eastern white pine Pinus strobus	Newfoundland and Quebec west to Manitoba; south to Minnesota and Iowa; east to New Jersey; the Appalachians to northern Georgia	35
Giant sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum	About 75 groves along the west slope of the Sierra Nevada in central California, in a belt 420 km (260 mi) long	59
Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica	Cape Breton Island and Nova Scotia west to southeastern Alberta; south to southeastern Texas; east to northwestern Florida and Georgia	52
Hackberry Celtis occidentalis	Southern New England through central New York and southern Ontario to North and South Dakota; south to northeastern Colorado, northwestern Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina	50
Jack pine Pinus banksiana	Northwest Territories east to Cape Breton Island, then southwest through Maine, New Hampshire, northern New York, central Quebec and northern Ontario, Michigan, extreme northwest Indiana and northeast Illinois, then northwest through Wisconsin, Minnesota, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and central Alberta to extreme northeast British Columbia	50
Laurel oak Quercus laurifolia	Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains from southeastern Virginia to southern Florida and west to southeastern Texas	64
Live oak Quercus virginiana	Lower Coastal Plain from southeastern Virginia south to Georgia and Florida including the Florida Keys, west to southern and central Texas, with scattered populations in southwestern Oklahoma and northeastern Mexico	76
Loblolly pine Pinus taeda	Fourteen states from southern New Jersey south to central Florida and west to eastern Texas	53
Longleaf pine Pinus palustris	Most of the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains from southeastern Virginia to eastern Texas and south through the northern two-thirds of peninsular Florida; also the Piedmont, Ridge and Valley and Mountain provinces of Alabama and northwest Georgia	55
Mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa	Massachusetts and New York west to southern Ontario, southern Michigan and northern Illinois, then to southeastern Iowa, Missouri and eastern Kansas, south to eastern Texas and east to northern Florida	65
Northern red oak Quercus rubra	Cape Breton Island and the Gaspe Peninsula to Ontario; Minnesota south to eastern Nebraska and Oklahoma; east to Arkansas, southern Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina	64
Northern white-cedar Thuja occidentalis	Anticosti Island west to southern James Bay and southeastern Manitoba; south through Minnesota and Wisconsin; east through southern Michigan, southern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine	36
Oregon ash Fraxinus latifolia	Northern Washington to southern California	50
Oregon white oak Quercus garryana	From just below the 50th parallel on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, south nearly to latitude 34 degrees north in Los Angeles County, California	63
Overcup oak Quercus lyrata	Wetter bottom lands of the Coastal Plain from Delaware and Maryland south to Georgia and northwestern Florida, west to eastern Texas; north in the Mississippi Valley to southeastern Oklahoma, southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois, southwestern Indiana and western Kentucky	63
Paper birch Betula papyrifera	Newfoundland and Labrador west across the continent into northwest Alaska, southeast to British Columbia and Washington; the Great Lakes region and New England; down the Appalachians from central New York to western North Carolina	52
Pignut hickory Carya glabra	Massachusetts and southwest New Hampshire west through southern Vermont and extreme southern Ontario to central Lower Michigan and Illinois; south through southeastern Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas to Louisiana and East Texas; east along the Gulf Coast into central Florida	68
Pin oak Quercus palustris	Southwestern New England west to extreme southern Ontario, southern Michigan, northern Illinois and Iowa; south to Missouri, eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma; east to central Arkansas, Tennessee, central North Carolina and Virginia	64
Pitch pine Pinus rigida	Central Maine to New York and extreme southeastern Ontario, south to Virginia and southern Ohio, and in the mountains to eastern Tennessee, northern Georgia and western South Carolina	50
Ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa	Southern British Columbia south through Washington, Oregon and California; east across the Rocky Mountain states to Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas; north into Mexico	45
Post oak Quercus stellata	Southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island, southern Connecticut and southeastern New York westward; abundant throughout the Southeastern and South Central United States, reaching semiarid parts of Oklahoma and Texas	64
Pumpkin ash Fraxinus profunda	Atlantic Coastal Plain from southern Maryland and southeastern Virginia to northern Florida and west to Louisiana; Mississippi and Ohio River valleys from southern Illinois and Indiana south through southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas	50
Red maple Acer rubrum	Southern Newfoundland and southern Quebec to southeastern Manitoba and northern Minnesota, south to eastern Texas and Florida	50
Red pine Pinus resinosa	Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, southern Quebec and Maine west to central Ontario and southeastern Manitoba; south to southeastern Minnesota; east through Wisconsin, Michigan, southern Ontario, northern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts	42
Red spruce Picea rubens	Maritime Provinces west to Maine, southern Quebec and southeastern Ontario; south into central New York, eastern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey and Massachusetts; south along the Appalachians to western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee	34
Redwood Sequoia sempervirens	Extreme southwest Oregon (latitude 42 degrees 09 minutes N) south in a coastal strip to southern Monterey County, California (latitude 35 degrees 41 minutes N)	50
River birch Betula nigra	Southeastern quarter of the United States from eastern Texas and southeastern Iowa to Virginia and northern Florida; scattered along rivers as far north as southern Minnesota, central Wisconsin and the middle New England States	57
Rock elm Ulmus thomasii	Upper Mississippi Valley and lower Great Lakes region: New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and extreme southern Quebec west to Ontario, Michigan and northern Minnesota; south to southeastern South Dakota, northeastern Kansas and northern Arkansas; east to Tennessee, southwestern Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania	54
Scarlet oak Quercus coccinea	Southwestern Maine west to New York, Ohio, southern Michigan and Indiana; south to southern Illinois, southeastern Missouri and central Mississippi; east to southern Alabama and southwestern Georgia; north along the western edge of the Coastal Plain to Virginia	64
Shagbark hickory Carya ovata	Southeastern Nebraska and southeastern Minnesota through southern Ontario and southern Quebec to southern Maine, south to Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and eastern Texas	64
Shellbark hickory Carya laciniosa	Western New York through southern Michigan to southeast Iowa, south through eastern Kansas into northern Oklahoma, and east through Tennessee into Pennsylvania; most prominent in the lower Ohio River region and south along the Mississippi River to central Arkansas	64
Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata	Southeastern New York and New Jersey west to Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, Kentucky, southwestern Illinois and southern Missouri; south to eastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas; east to northern Florida and northeast to Delaware	52
Silver maple Acer saccharinum	New Brunswick, central Maine and southern Quebec west to southwestern Ontario and northern Michigan; south to southeastern South Dakota, Kansas and Oklahoma; east to northwestern Florida and central Georgia	46
Sitka spruce Picea sitchensis	A narrow strip along the north Pacific coast from latitude 61 degrees N in south-central Alaska to 39 degrees N in northern California	33
Slash pine Pinus elliottii	Georgetown County, South Carolina, south to central Florida and west to Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana; var. densa in southern peninsular Florida and the Keys; planted north to Tennessee and west to eastern Texas	58
Slippery elm Ulmus rubra	Southwestern Maine west to New York, extreme southern Quebec, southern Ontario, northern Michigan, central Minnesota and eastern North Dakota; south to eastern South Dakota, central Nebraska, southwestern Oklahoma and central Texas; east to northwestern Florida and Georgia	53
Southern red oak Quercus falcata	Long Island, New York, southward in New Jersey to northern Florida; west across the Gulf States to the Brazos River valley in Texas; north in eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, southern Missouri, southern Illinois and Ohio, and western West Virginia	64
Subalpine fir Abies lasiocarpa	From Arizona and New Mexico north to Yukon Territory; southeastern Alaska through British Columbia, the Cascades and Olympic Mountains to southern Oregon; Rocky Mountain high elevations from interior British Columbia to southern New Mexico and Arizona	28
Sugar maple Acer saccharum	Southeastern Manitoba through central Ontario, southern Quebec and the Maritimes; New England south to Tennessee; west to Missouri, eastern Iowa and eastern Minnesota	55
Swamp chestnut oak Quercus michauxii	Atlantic Coastal Plain from New Jersey and extreme eastern Pennsylvania south to north Florida and west to east Texas; north in the Mississippi River Valley to extreme southeast Oklahoma, Arkansas, southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois and southern Indiana	63
Swamp white oak Quercus bicolor	Southwestern Maine west to New York, southern Quebec and southern Ontario, to central Michigan, northern Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota; south to Iowa and Missouri; east to Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and New Jersey	63
Sweet birch Betula lenta	Southern Maine westward in southern Quebec, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and southeastern Ontario to eastern Ohio; south in Pennsylvania through the Appalachian Mountains to northern Alabama and Georgia	65
Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua	Connecticut south to central Florida and eastern Texas, west to Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma	50
Virginia pine Pinus virginiana	Piedmont and lower mountain elevations from central Pennsylvania southwest to northeastern Mississippi, Alabama and northern Georgia; Atlantic Coastal Plain as far north as New Jersey and Long Island	50
Water oak Quercus nigra	Coastal Plain from southern New Jersey and Delaware south to southern Florida; west to eastern Texas; north in the Mississippi Valley to southeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and southwestern Tennessee	64
Water tupelo Nyssa aquatica	Coastal Plain from southeastern Virginia to southern Georgia, and from northwestern Florida along the Gulf of Mexico to southeastern Texas; up the Mississippi River Valley to the southern tip of Illinois	56
Western hemlock Tsuga heterophylla	Coast Ranges from central California to the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska; Cascade Range in Oregon and Washington; northern Rocky Mountains of Montana and Idaho north to Prince George, British Columbia	41
White ash Fraxinus americana	Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, to northern Florida; eastern Minnesota south to eastern Texas	50
White fir Abies concolor	Mountainous regions of the Pacific coast to central Colorado, and from central Oregon and southeastern Idaho to northern Mexico	47
White oak Quercus alba	Southwestern Maine and extreme southern Quebec west to southern Ontario, central Michigan and southeastern Minnesota; south to western Iowa, eastern Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas; east to northern Florida and Georgia	63
Willow oak Quercus phellos	Bottom lands of the Coastal Plain from New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania south to Georgia and northern Florida; west to eastern Texas; north in the Mississippi Valley to southeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois, southern Kentucky and western Tennessee	64
Winged elm Ulmus alata	Southern Virginia west to Kentucky, southern Indiana and Illinois, and central Missouri; south to central Oklahoma and southeastern Texas; east to central Florida	53
Yellow-poplar (tuliptree) Liriodendron tulipifera	Southern New England west through southern Ontario and Michigan, south to Louisiana, east to north-central Florida	49

The weights are averages for the species, and NRS-38 itself calls its values rough estimates for localized areas. Wood of the same species can differ with site and moisture.

Tree species: what the forestry agencies record

Where the facts come from

What these pages leave out

Species compared

Species, one page each

Sources