Tips: Select a twig that seems typical of the tree. Try to obtain a twig with reproductive structures (fruits, cones) because you may need to observe them to identify your tree. This key is for CONIFERS (trees which have leaves that look like needles or tiny overlapping scales, are frequently evergreen, lack flowers, usually bear woody or leathery cones, and produce seeds). To use the key, read both descriptions on a page. Click whichever one best describes your specimen to move to the next page. Should you reach a dead end, click the "Previous" button to backtrack until you reach a description choice about which you felt unsure, and try following the other path. Some tree genera are found more than once in the key because they occur in different forms.
Only trees which are native to the United States are included in this key.