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Click http://www.treebrowser.org to access the USU Tree Browser. This is a web-based, interactive database containing information on 241 native and introduced trees growing in Utah and the Intermountain West.
The browser contains over a thousand full color photographs. Users can browse through a complete list of trees or narrow their choices by selecting from 21 general, growth-related, cultural, and ornamental characteristics, including whether a tree is native or introduced.
For each species there is a fact sheet, usually including descriptions of the leaves, twigs/buds, flowers/fruit, bark, wood, general comments about the tree's native habitat, and a description of its uses in cultivated landscapes. A full help section is also available.
The USU Tree Browser was created by USU Extension forestry specialist Mike Kuhns and Box Elder County Extension agriculture/4-H youth agent Lyle Holmgren. Partial funding was provided by U.S. Forest Service State and Private Forestry.
"We at USU Extension forestry hope that this new online resource will improve people's knowledge of the trees growing around them and how better to use trees in the landscape," Kuhns said.
A desktop version (on CD) is also available for those with slower or no internet connections or who want the added convenience of direct program operation without needing to be online.
It works the same as the online version and can receive updates when an internet connection is available. It works on a Mac or PC. The cost is $15, but quantity discounts are available. To order, contact Mike Kuhns at mike.kuhns@usu.edu.
