Native Tree Society BBS

I have been looking for comments or thoughts, in general, about the recent toppling by a storm of this tree in California by our members. Sam Goodwin

On 1/30/16 we visited the MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA. In 1999, Natalie Jememijenko, planted 6 Fire Maple trees upside down and the exhibition is called Tree Logic. One website called them Sugar Maples. There is a geocache placed nearby that highlights the trees. This was the first time I have hear...

Knocking on wood did not help, we came out of the woods today and a tick was climbing my wife's leg. We follow all the listed guidelines but some still sneak in. Sam

It was reported last week that the deep snow we had this winter protected the ticks from the extreme cold. So far this year we have not found a tick on us and only 3 or 4 last year. The year before that after a short hike heading into Ct from MA I found 17 ticks on me! My wife has had Lyme Disease t...

Will, it sounds like it must be a magnolia. Both the sassafras and spice bush beers went over well at our beer tastings. Sam

In some ways it does looks like saucer magnolia and they say the flowers are fragrant but no where do they say if you scratch the bark it smells like Chinese 5 spice, ( another spice I have made beer with). The pictures show that the bark has bumps that look more like dashes then spots. Sam

Since its a park it may not be native to this area, Sam

Ray, I did not want to break or cut any twigs and I found a twig on the ground but I checked all the twigs and branches on the tree and they all look the same. I grabbed another laying on the ground with dry leaves but they turned out to be oak. The tree is near the playing fields in Mittineague Par...

I agree with Will and Doug about the size being sassafras but the pictures of the bark do not look like any pictures I can find. I will have to leave it o members with more knowledge. Either way it will show its color soon. On my computer I can left click on the the picture and then left click again...

Last fall in a park in West Springfield, MA I saw a spicebush, It passed the bark and scratch test. The reason I noticed it was a spicebush is 2 years ago I brewed a beer using spicebush sticks. After reading this post I knew this one was bigger. I went there today and stomped through the snow and m...