Any arboreal experts out there? (Someone who knows about trees, rather than someone who knows about other stuff and lives in a tree…)

I’m trying to identify two trees in the garden – my guess is that they are both Ash trees but it’s a poorly-educated guess. Leaves look like this:

DSC04125 by stuartie_c, on Flickr

Top one is from a young tree, bottom from a mature one. The leaves look the same to me, though the bark is different in appearance.

DSC04124 by stuartie_c, on Flickr

Undersides.

Any ideas?

To help identify it, cut a branch off and burn it.

Then it will definitely be ash.

Mint

Groan… 😀

Beech.

Stuart, there is a wee Collins tree identification book on amazon, really good.

Yep.

They’re definitely off a tree, alright.

Are there serrations on the leaf edge? Even tiny ones?

No visible serrations, like with Beech leaves.

Goat Willow/Pussy Willow?

If the leaves grow on either edge of the twig opposite each other it could be Ash.

This is a good site to identify a tree:Forestry Commision

Does the tree have black buds and the branches a slightly upswept appearance? Are the leaves compound leaves (your leaves are actually leaflets – part of a bigger multi-leafed leaf)? Yes to those would suggest Ash.

They look a bit like Grey Willow leaves, except for the serrations.

Look like some variety of willow as druidh suggests.

They’re not ash, difficult to tell without the whole branch could be Beech or Elm, if the trunk of the tree has a smooth bark, the type folk carve their initials in easily then it’s beech, elm has a rough trunk.

They don’t seem to be leaflets as suggested by grittyshaker, which rules Ash out.

Goat or Pussy Willow seems a good match though.

Not beech or elm. That’s for sure.

When druidh mentioned willow it chimed straight away.

Certainly a willow as Druid says. How about a pic of the whole tree

Common ash or pussy willow?

Will get a pics of the trees and their bark tomorrow, Sharki.

Bit dark right now.

[img]http://[/img]
Grey willow it aint.

Beech

It’s not; Ash, Chestnut or Horse Chestnut, Elm,(has serrated edges my mistake)Rowan, Sycamore,Oak, Poplar, or Willow (which has long thin leaves)which are all common trees to uk gardens, Beech does get used as a hedge as well, difficult to really tell without seeing the bark which is an instant give away. Other than that I don’t know, my tree knowledge is the distant memories of a boy scout, could be just a shrub.

Larch?

http://www.keele.ac.uk/arboretum/trees/species/goatwillow/

They are definitely not Beech trees. I could add FACT to this assertion to make it incontrovertible.

Pussy/Goat Willow is the most likely so far, but I’ll need to get a good look at them in daylight to confirm.

Lack of scale not helping.
Doesn’t look like ash, cut enough down today.

Looks like a salix to me, prob goat willow.

You need to post more pictures of the tree, including branch, trunk and complete tree.

They look a bit like Prunus, the cherry family, to me. Does the bark on the main branches have rings around it, lighter in colour and raised?

Looks like goat willow to me too..

Got one in my garden. Grows about 2m per year!! Comes in handy though as I collect all the 2m new growth sticks each year, save them in the shed and a year later have perfect dry fire starting material.

I suspect one is a goat willow, one is an ash… Show leaves on a branch and some bark and that will help…

If it ever stops raining, I’ll get some more photos…

looks like a willow to me, def not beech or ash or elm etc. Could be some kind of damson or gage type thing but not convinced.

OK – here we go. Apologies for out-of-focus shots – it was pishin’ doon.

Tree 1 – mature:

tree1_whole by stuartie_c, on Flickr

tree1_bark2 by stuartie_c, on Flickr

tree1_leaves by stuartie_c, on Flickr

tree1_bark by stuartie_c, on Flickr

Tree 2 – young:

tree2_bark by stuartie_c, on Flickr

tree2_leaves by stuartie_c, on Flickr

I’m fairly certain they are the same species – over to you guys…

I’m a furniture maker and can identify timbers fairly well when in board material. Could you cut them both down and plane up a few boards, then I can help…

Number 1. The larch. The larch.

Definitely goat willow from the bigger pic

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug8nHaelWtc[/video]

kayak23 – Member
I’m a furniture maker and can identify timbers fairly well when in board material. Could you cut them both down and plane up a few boards, then I can help…

Jeez – you lot are demanding! Right, that’s the last I’m doing today…

DSC04200 by stuartie_c, on Flickr