How will the saplings be identified?
Answers
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This maple tree sapling has simple, alternate leaves.
Saplings are trees that are just starting to grow. Just as with mature trees, saplings can be identified by noting their details. Although it's typically a sapling's leaves that are the primary key in identifying it, the leaves are only one part of a sapling. Other parts, such as buds and twigs, are also used in identifying tree saplings. However, because saplings are not mature trees, they can be harder to identify than older trees.
Size
Although they're usually small, saplings can vary in age from only a few years old to 30 years of age or more. They're smaller than trees located under a canopy or sub-canopy, although they're older than seedling trees, as they have passed a crucial phase of their growth. A hardwood forest may contain as many as 300 saplings per hectare (equal to 100 acres), notes the University of Minnesota.
Leaf Type and Arrangement
If a sapling has simple leaves that grow opposite each other, it's likely to be an ash, a lilac or a dogwood tree. Saplings with simple leaves that grow on twigs alternately include birches, poplars and willows. Saplings with compound leaves positioned opposite each other on twigs include ash and buckeye trees. Saplings with compound leaves that grow alternately on a twig include walnut and locust trees.