The 9 Best Tree Identification Field Guides (2023 reviews)

National Audubon Society line of guide come in a pretty wide variety of styles, so you can definitely find one that suits your individual preferences and needs. This is a field guide which means you can stick in your pocket and head afield. It lets you identify trees based on either flower, leaf, bark, etc and has them sorted into appropriate sections with colored photos. It can identify and enjoy more of nature and the great outdoors. It also includes sections with flowers divided by color, acorns, nuts fruit pods, and ect.

The high quality, vibrant photos guide the user to printed info that helps ensure you have the correct species identification. It's a good book with looks of color pictures and good descriptions.

Why We Like This:

Breaks down pictoral sections by leaves, flowers (by color), seeds, pods, cones, etc
Perfect to fit in a jacket or backpack pocket
New and hot release

Best For beginner: David Allen Sibley Tree Identification Field Guide

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Next on the list, we've got yet another guide that manages to win our hearts. It's the david allen sibley tree identification field guide and it's widely considered as one of the best convenient guide you can buy. Like Sibley’s Guide to Birds, the illustrations in this guide to trees are unparalleled. It includes all (or nearly all) the native and naturalized trees, and many or most of the commonly planted ornamentals found in north america. This book clearly shows all parts of the trees, including not only the bark and a selection of the leaves showing the shape variations, but also the flowers and the fruits, seed pods, cones, nuts, etc. The pictures are beautiful & detailed, & help a lot when it comes to identification.

This book has a section for each family where it clearly details the hallmarks of each family and, in some cases, explains what separates that family from similar families. It even has a check list in the back like a birding book. It is great for the traveler who enjoys nature and needs a quick identification.

Why We Like This:

A delight for eye and mind
Great photos and makes it easier to identify trees
Great for prepping before you go

Best Field Guide: Bruce Kershner Tree Identification Field Guide

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Bruce Kershner line of guide come in a pretty wide variety of styles, so you can definitely find one that suits your individual preferences and needs. This book breaks it down by categories of Needle, Oval, Simple, and Broad leaf categories. It features pictures of leaves, bark, fruit, blossoms, and maps to show where trees are common and less common. The visual glossary with a section on how to identify trees is a really nice addition. It's amazingly comprehensive, containing information on native species and a lot of cultivated imports. There's a separate, small but nicely presented section of winter silhouettes.

There is no extra information concerning wood usage nor are there tid-bit superlatives of the plant. The print and image quality is great. It is particularly well planned with color coding for different types of trees. It is also useful as a quick reference work for the family when someone wants to identify a tree.

Why We Like This:

A must for the tree enthusiast
Great full color field guide, well structured
Very detailed and complete guide to trees
Contains not only trees but shrubs, fruit, and flower identification

Best For home: Elbert L little Tree Identification Field Guide

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate guide. The elbert l little tree identification field guide is exactly that - it's a simple guide that hits all the right notes. The Audubon books are excellent field identification guides. While not being the most comprehensive field guide out there, it will get the job done for the major endemic tree species and help steer you in the right direction if your subject is not presented in the book. As far as a good tool to increase one's knowledge of the natural world, this field guide is helpful and deserves a place in any naturalist's library.

The Audubon guide to western trees will prove a long lasting reference for outdoor lovers and tree finders. Colored pictures are a must and these books have pictures that allow you to identify your tree easily. The photos and drawings in this volume are generally excellent. It also contains a very good glossary section.

Why We Like This:

Very help field book for hiking and other
Well illustrated and descriptions of birds
Very rich color photos, identification tips, and thorough descriptions

Best For Some basic Identification: may Theilgaard Watts Tree Identification Field Guide

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Compared with other guide in this category, the may theilgaard watts tree identification field guide has a convenient design. This is a great little book that guides you step by step through identifying trees that grow in the usa. It helps teach the basics of how they classify the trees, also. The diagrams are a big help for the student unfamiliar with the vocabulary. It is ideal for tree identification on your hiking trail.

This book is also small, so it's easy to bring with you when hiking so you can just whip it out when you see an interesting tree. It is easy to use and follows some very logical steps to make an identification. This is an easy to carry quick reference to help guide you in tree identification through leaf characteristics. The drawings are good and the format makes it reasonably easy to use.

Why We Like This:

Simple yet comprehensive field guide to tree identification
Highly recommended to anyone just beginning to identify trees based on leaves
Handy pocket size for use in the field
Wonderful compact tree book that compliments the other larger tree

Best For serious Tree lovers: L Katherine Kirkman Tree Identification Field Guide

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The l katherine kirkman tree identification field guide's material feels more premium than its price would suggest. This takes some getting used to if you are not a plant scientist, but, after a while, it is kind of cool to be able to know the common names and the scientific names first. It features to illustrate the botanical terms used in the book. It is alphabetized by scientific family names and always lists the scientific name first. It includes descriptions of relevant leaf, twig, bark, flower, and fruit traits, with color photos (with the text, not in a separate section) and distribution maps.

This should make it accessible to a lay person without prior knowledge in botany. It has an easy to understand identification keys, great pictures and simple to understand features. The range maps are also very helpful for the process of elimination.

Why We Like This:

Informative, easy to use, helpful photography
Easy to read, handy trail guide
Detailed and clear with nice pictures

Best For Full color Pictures: Bland Crowder Tree Identification Field Guide

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The bland crowder tree identification field guide is capable of outshining several other guide featured in this list in overall features in its price range. This is a useful small guide to the major (for the most part) trees and shrubs that you will encounter around the country. It includes a scientific name, photograph of a mature plant, illustration of leaf, flower and fruit, a paragraph about the tree, and key facts with anatomical details of the leaves, flowers, fruits, and growth range. Its small size and sturdy binding makes it handy for a field trip.

This is a thorough "pocket guide" to trees and shrubs. It is small and portable, so a person can take it with them on field trips if they want. It is great for a budding tree enthusiast, full color pictures. The one "negative" of this volume is that it requires intellectual work on the part of the reader and student.

Why We Like This:

Perfect guide for identifying strange trees
Sturdy, colorful, perfect size, and very educating pocket guide
Small enough for your back pocket
Wonderful for taking along on hikes

Best For Trees: Rushforth Tree Identification Field Guide

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The rushforth tree identification field guide is capable of outshining several other guide featured in this list in overall features for the price point. This slim guide has drawings of the trees and leaves. It uses a lot of symbols to describe a tree which means going back and forth a lot. It shows considerable usage, and that speaks for its' usefulness. It is a gift for a family member who needs it in their work for identifying trees.

This guide includes a number of exotic species and hybrids that are frequently planted in yards, parks, and along roads, so if you want to be able to identify those species, this is a good choice. It consists of more than 260 pages packed with information on literally hundreds of trees, and well illustrated with quality drawings of those trees. It is missing range maps and does not always show all the parts (flowers, fruits, bark) of the trees. It does not give tree height or branch geography.

Why We Like This:

Nice design and handy for the pocket
Good guide for urban (exotic and hybrid) trees
One of the new comers and featured product

Best For Most common subject matters: Petrides Tree Identification Field Guide

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The petrides tree identification field guide is specially designed for your daily usage and has all useful features. The Peterson field guides are always great,great info, easy to navigate and superb information. It is good for a young child and easy to carry in a backpact. It is thorough, it is light, and has clear illustrations. It is good for the field and fits in your pack.

This book is made to carry in the field, well designed for that purpose and will probably fit into most large pockets. It is easy to navigate, however these are truly a pocket guide and much thinner.

Why We Like This: