In Winter, trees become more mysterious to us without their leaves. But they still hold clues to their identity in their twigs, cones, seeds, bark, location and shape. Knowing our tree neighbors’ names makes them more familiar and personal to us. It’s the essential first step to learning more: whether a tree is a native or invasive, a source of food and shelter to birds, susceptible to certain pests, or good for wood working.

Matt Watkeys, the forester for Marquette and Alger County Conservation District, will lead a winter tree identification program for Moosewood Nature Center on Saturday, March 16, from 10:00 am. to 12:00 pm. He will have an inside discussion inside the Center for the first 10-15 minutes, then we will move outside on snow boots or snowshoes to be tree detectives.

Brochures for the Big Tree Hunt Contest will also be provided. Matt will also share how to properly measure the circumference of a tree trunk.

The program fee is $5 for an individual and $10 for a family-up to four. Come to the Center 30 minutes early if you want to rent snowshoes for $5 for the event or bring your own.