By: Hunter Via
One of my favorite classes I have taken so far during my time at Warnell has been dendrology. I have always had a special interest in trees and getting to take this class has only grown that interest. I have always had a good amount of knowledge about different species of trees and where they grow but this class obviously expanded that knowledge. A couple weeks into taking this course I recalled seeing a tree a couple years before and realized that it may be out of place. This tree that I recalled was a pine tree, but it was not a pine tree I was used to seeing in this area. After speaking to my dendrology professor about this tree I realized that I needed to try and find this tree again. A couple weeks passed, and I was able to make the trip south to Burke County to look for the tree. I had a decent idea of where this tree was, but it had been 2 years since I had been in the swamp where it was, so I knew it was going to be a little challenging to find. However, after a 25-minute walk through the palmettos and ankle-deep water I found it. Not only did I find the one tree I remembered but I realized there were several seedlings of the same species growing nearby. After an inspection I still was not 100 percent sure what species this tree was. I made sure to take plenty of pictures of the tree so that my professors could help me identify it. At first, some of the professors I showed the pictures to were stumped on what it was. However, one professor was able to identify this tree as a spruce pine (Pinus glabra). After this identification I assumed that this tree must be rarely found in this area since I had never seen one before but after looking at a range map, I realized that I found a tree that was out of its described range. This tree was about 40 miles from where its nearest location on a range map which isn’t an extremely long distance, but I still found it very interesting. There isn’t any way to know for sure but there is a chance that this may be the furthest north specimen of this species in the state. I find it a privilege to be able to take classes on subjects like this to expand my knowledge in things I am passionate about.
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