FG-0060 · Wild Plants · 6 species
Identifying Trees in Oregon
By Derek Gauger · Updated
Overview
Oregon's trees split sharply at the Cascades: lush conifer rainforest to the west, drier ponderosa pine and juniper country to the east. A few needle and bark clues tell the big conifers apart.
This guide covers common and iconic Oregon trees — how to tell them apart by foliage, bark, and habit. Pair it with a photo of the needles or bark and the app to confirm any tree you find.
Key species to know
FG-0060.01
Douglas-fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii
The Oregon state tree — a giant conifer with soft, flat needles and cones bearing distinctive three-pronged bracts between the scales. The backbone of the timber industry.
Habitat: Coast Range and west-slope Cascade forests.
FG-0060.02
Western Redcedar
Thuja plicata
A large conifer with flat, scale-like foliage in fern-like sprays, drooping branch tips, and stringy reddish bark. Fragrant and rot-resistant.
Habitat: Moist forests, streamsides, and coastal lowlands.
FG-0060.03
Bigleaf Maple
Acer macrophyllum
A broadleaf tree with enormous five-lobed leaves — the largest of any maple — and mossy limbs in the wet coastal forest. Turns gold in fall.
Habitat: Moist western forests, canyons, and streamsides.
FG-0060.04
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa
A tall pine with long needles in bundles of three and orange, jigsaw-plated bark that smells of vanilla. Dominant in the dry country east of the Cascades.
Habitat: Dry east-side forests and foothills.
FG-0060.05
Western Hemlock
Tsuga heterophylla
A graceful conifer with short, uneven flat needles and a drooping leader at the treetop. Regenerates thickly in the shade of the coastal forest.
Habitat: Moist coastal and west-slope forests.
FG-0060.06
Oregon White Oak
Quercus garryana
The main native oak of the Pacific Northwest — a rugged tree with rounded-lobed leaves and gnarled limbs, anchoring the Willamette Valley's oak savannas.
Habitat: Valley savannas, foothills, and dry slopes.
Through the seasons
- Fall: bigleaf maple and Oregon white oak add gold to the mostly evergreen landscape.
- Year-round: the big conifers — Douglas-fir, redcedar, hemlock — keep the west side green.
- Look for orange, vanilla-scented plated bark to pick out ponderosa pine on the east side.
Questions
- What is the state tree of Oregon?
- The Douglas-fir — a massive conifer whose cones carry unique three-pronged bracts, and the mainstay of Oregon's forest industry.
- How do I tell Douglas-fir from a true fir or spruce?
- Douglas-fir cones have three-pronged bracts sticking out between the scales, and its needles are soft and flat. Spruce needles are sharp and four-sided; true firs have upright cones that shatter on the tree. Photograph the cone and needles and use an app like Spotter to confirm.
From Field Notes
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In this guide
- Species
- 6
- Region
- Oregon