No. 1 Get to know a tree

A child climbing a tree in the sunshine at Wentworth Castle Gardens, South Yorkshire | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

How well do you know the trees near you? Look at a tree's leaves to try and identify it or search for clues in its roots, bark and branches. You can even hug a tree to learn its age.

Getting started

Every tree is special. You could look in your garden, a park or a wood for a tree that you’d like to get to know. Go searching on your own, or invite your family or friends to join you.

Before you set off, it’s best to check with an adult and take extra care around trees that might be damaged or very old. Play detective and pack a magnifying glass if you have one.

How to identify a tree by its leaves

The easiest way to discover what sort of tree you're looking at is by examining its leaves. Think about their shape – are they shaped like hearts, like feathers or like a hand with fingers? Do they have a smooth edge or a jagged one? Perhaps the tree has needles. These are likely to be conifers, which include pine, fir, cypress, larch and spruce.

View or download our leaf spotting guide

Leaf shapes

These pictures of different leaves can help you identify your tree.

Oak leaf

Long and narrow, with rounded bumps along the edges. The stem is very short and in autumn the leaves turn yellow and brown.

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Be a tree detective

Look up. Are there any flowers or seeds growing? Listen for birds or squirrels who may be hiding or making their home. You could even search your tree for scars, and try to imagine what may have caused them: a storm, an animal or something else?

Some trees have hollows so big that you can climb inside, while others have tiny cracks where minibeasts hide. Investigate every nook to really get to know it.

Crouch down to look at the roots of your tree or, if it's safe, climb up its branches. Use your hands to feel the texture of its bark – is it bumpy, rough or smooth? You could make a rubbing with paper and a crayon to reveal the lines and patterns.

Discover the age of a tree

Did you know you can work out roughly how old an oak tree is by hugging its trunk? Find a tree that looks old and wrap your arms around it. If it's a wide trunk, you may need to use a piece of string to measure it, or ask a friend to join in and help complete your hug. Write down how many hugs it takes for you to reach around the trunk and touch fingertips.

When you get home, find a tape measure and work out the distance between the fingertips of everyone who helped with the hug. Here's a clue – an average adult hug measures 130cm. Add up the lengths of the hugs needed for the tree. Divide the total length of your hugs by 2 for an oak tree. The answer is the tree's approximate age.

For example:

An oak tree measuring a total of 200 cm / 2 = around 100 years old

Visitors hug a tree at Dinefwr, Carmarthenshire, Wales | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

Nosey business

Have you ever smelt a tree? Just like us, trees have their own smells, and this can change with the weather. Put your face really close and give your tree a good sniff. Does its trunk smell different to its branches?

What about its leaves, flowers or seeds? Trees spread their seeds so that new trees can grow. Did you know that conkers are the seeds of a horse chestnut tree? Helicopter seeds are fun as they're shaped like wings and can spin through the air. They're found on sycamore, ash and field maple trees. Race a friend by rolling one between your thumb and finger to make it fly.

Dressed for the season

Nothing changes its style for the season quite like a tree. Bright and blooming in spring, green in summer, gold and red in autumn and bare brown in winter. Even evergreen trees, which keep their leaves all year, change in other ways. Look out for the seeds and fruit that grow, as well as the creatures that visit their branches.

Choose a tree you can explore at different times of the year and talk about the changes that you discover. Maybe you could turn it into a game of eye-spy? Take your sketchpad, diary or camera to keep a memory of the changes, so you can look back at how your tree has transformed.

Climb carefully

We want everyone to enjoy trees as much as we do. Before you climb up your tree, check if there are any signs of damage or if it is special for its age or type. Check with an adult before you set off on your adventures and keep away from trees in stormy weather.