Several species identification guides were created by The Morton Arboretum’s Global Tree Conservation Program, the Global Conservation Consortium for Oak (GCCO), and other partners as free resources available for collaborators to use.
These species ID guides are a collaborative project with various partners within GCCO regions of operation, including the U.S., Mexico and Central America, East and Southeast Asia, West Eurasia, and North Africa.
The guides are mainly visual, describing species from specific regions meant to be used in the field to help with in situ identification of rare and endangered species.
They provide basic taxonomic information aimed at a general audience, such as distribution, morphology, and IUCN threat status, as well as other details such as propagation techniques and/or uses if known.
Species were selected based on level of endangerment, rarity, and cultural, economic, or ecological significance to each region.
Montane Cloud Forest Species
These species ID guides, or fichas botánicas, are mainly visual, describing species from specific regions meant to be used in the field to help with in situ (in original location) identification of rare and endangered species.
Región de Coto Brus en el sur de Costa Rica
This set of species ID guides describes 11 species native to the Coto Brus region in southern Costa Rica. The guides were first shared in San Vito, Costa Rica as part of a rare and threatened tree conservation workshop in November 2022.
Xalapa en el estado de Veracruz
This set describes 10 cloud forest tree species native to Mexico. Each of the species is valuable to local communities in central Veracruz state, mainly for their durable wood. Most have been overexploited and, as a result, their populations are currently depleted. These species are being incorporated into conservation and restoration efforts across a range of disturbance conditions, demonstrating high success in their establishment.
Zacapoaxtla en Sierra Norte de Puebla en México
This set includes nine guides for priority Quercus species in the municipality of Zacapoaxtla, Puebla, and within the distribution range of Quercus hirtifolia. The general introduction to oaks guide serves to help identify whether a given species belongs to the white or red oak group. The other nine identification guides describe oaks native to the region, as well as others found in northern Mexico, which were used in oak propagation workshops.
Oaks of the Californias
In 2021, the Global Conservation Consortium for Oak (GCCO) organized a conservation action planning workshop focused on six threatened oak species native to coastal southern California and the Channel Islands:
- Quercus cedrosensis
- Quercus dumosa
- Quercus engelmannii
- Quercus parvula var. parvula
- Quercus pacifica
- Quercus tomentella
A number of institutions from southern California participated, including The Nature Conservancy, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, and San Diego Botanic Garden. This workshop resulted in a management plan for those six species, outlining specific conservation actions to focus on through 2031 to promote their recovery.
Four species identification guides were created for trees that occur on the mainland as conservation resources for partners and community members (English and Spanish available).
Download Oaks of the Californias Guides in English.
Descargar Guías de Robles de las Californias en español.
Monteverde Institute, Costa Rica
The Monterverde Institute is an educational, non-profit organization in Monteverde, Costa Rica. Its mission is to increase sustainable tourism in the region by integrating academic programs, research, and community initiatives.
The Institute’s restoration program focuses on restoring tropical forests on the pacific slope, which is important habitat for the “pájaro campana” (Procnias tricarunculatus), a charismatic and threatened species native to Central America. As part of this effort, the Monteverde Institute has incorporated various native, threatened tree species in the local biological corridor. This set of species identification guides provides information on eight trees that are grown and planted as part of the reforestation program, including the iconic “Quizarra blanco” (Ocotea monteverdensis).
Fagaceae of Southeast Asia
These identification sheets, available in English, Lao, and Vietnamese, describe 10 threatened tree species within the Fagaceae family.
These species are distributed throughout Southeast Asia, including Laos and Vietnam. These sheets support local partners in Southeast Asia, to use in the field to better identify the species for collecting fruit, herbarium specimens, and phenology data.
Fagaceae ຂອງອາຊີຕາເວັນອອກສຽງໃຕ້
Họ Fagaceae ở Đông Nam Á