Happy sixth birthday to our plant identification YouTube series, Tree Talk! It’s hard to believe so much time has passed since the series began, and we’re honored to have taught so many people about so many species!

Each Tree Talk video is about a different species or activity related to ecology, reforestation, and more. Inspired by our in-person tree identification workshops, the series aims to share tidbits of information with Chesapeake Bay watershed communities in hopes of inspiring good forest stewards. From how to plant a tree, to bark that appears to be flexing its muscles, each Tree Talk is your monthly dose of tree ID, reforestation techniques, and a little forest fun.

Watch the Latest Tree Talk Now

Teaching tree identification is a classic role of the Alliance’s Forests Program, and for good reason. A primary mission of the program is to educate the 18.6 million residents of the Chesapeake Bay watershed about sustainable forest management so our forests are more resilient to the uncertainties of the future. The first step to managing forests is, well, to know what species you have.

Most residents of the Chesapeake, however, don’t own forest land, myself included. We are still essential to instruct on forests though because we all have a connection to them, the natural condition of our landscape. We all make decisions, whether they are about our backyards or our purchasing decisions, that impact our forests and the larger landscape.

Two people smile while reading a book and holding a tree branch

Attendees of the Alliance’s Chesapeake Watershed Forum identify trees around the National Conservation Training Center’s beautiful campus.

Our in-person tree identification workshops, which we have been leading around the watershed for over a decade, are frequently so well-attended that we, unfortunately, had to start capping registration. It’s difficult to teach in the woods to a large group, especially when pointing out some very small details on living plants. Although it hurts to turn people away, the high amount of interest in learning tree identification means the world to us on the Alliance Forests Team. So, we felt the need to figure out a way to educate more people!

It was in late 2018, after having to limit attendance to a tree identification workshop, that the idea to try virtual tree ID lessons struck me. We already provided written educational content via the Forests for the Bay newsletter, so why not add a video that discusses various tree species and their distinctive attributes to share with people who can’t attend in-person?

A person in the foregound reads a book, while a group of people in the background look at a tree

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Forum attendees practice tree identification using the Peterson Guide to Eastern Trees.

Since the series began, we got a higher-quality camera, switched up the software, and started to embellish thumbnails. Now, our Forests for the Bay YouTube channel has amassed over 8,200 subscribers who can view Tree Talks whenever they want! If I see a tree (or shrub, vine, or forb) that would be a good example of its species while on weekend hikes, my long-suffering wife, Allyson, will record me Tree Talkin’, and we co-produce the video later. I can’t thank Allyson enough for her innumerable hours spent helping me, and for her superhuman patience with me as I stumble through sharing my love of trees with the world.

A person leaning against a large tree

A screenshot from the first test run of what became Tree Talk. We’ve come a long way since then!

Our goal to multiply how many people we could educate was successful, and we have been able to show thousands of viewers plants they may not have been able to access themselves, due to physical limitations or geography. We have heard from just about every kind of viewer you could imagine: forest landowners in the mid-Atlantic, elementary school teachers and college professors, European tree enthusiasts, woodworkers, gardeners, and everything in between. I am shocked, honored, and humbled by the positive response to my unplanned ramblings about the plants I love.

Thank you to our stalwart partners at the US Forest Service for their perennial support of our outreach efforts. Want to catch new Tree Talks as they come out, view archived episodes, and enjoy other great content about our woods?

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