Throughout this year, Acer Ecology will be running a wide range of one day training courses for all ecology enthusiasts from Phase 1 Habitat Surveys to Using Bat Detectors.
Whether you’re a graduate or student eager to gain more valuable skills for your CV and future employment, or enjoy nature and are looking to improve your skills and meet like minded ecology lovers such as yourselves, we offer a wide range of training courses for everyone!
This week, we held our Winter Tree Identification Course at Bute Park Education Centre, taught by botanist, Mark Duffell.
During the morning session we learnt basic winter twig characteristics & features such as bud arrangement, lenticels, bud scales, leaf scars, pith structure and so on. Mark then taught us how to use the FSC Winter Tree I.D. Key with our newly found winter twig knowledge.
Mark gave us some top tips on how to use the key and where it can trick you and send you on a wild goose chase!
We won’t ever fall for it now. Thanks Mark!
After lunch, Mark took us out in to the field to put our new skills to the test!!!
Here are some pictures of how we got on!
What is it? Get the Key out!! Its a Balsam Poplar
Some of the trees we identified include whitebeam, sycamore, pedunculate oak, beech, hornbeam,
horse chestnut, sweet chestnut, tulip tree, common hawthorn, silver birch, downy birch.
- Danny’s New Look
All in all we had a great day and learnt so much about Winter Tree ID.
Thanks very much Mark! See you next year for more Acer Courses!!
