Top 5 Trees In Bend OR

A look into the 5 best trees that can be found all around Bend

By Nick Hoch

Oregon is known for having beautiful wildlife all around, and there are few places as beautiful and breathtaking as Bend. Located in the middle of the state, it is home to some of the tallest and most versatile trees from across the nation.

5. Douglas Fir

These trees have an average height of 115 feet and are most used as Christmas trees that can be found all around Bend and central Oregon. Their needles stay green all year and if grown in the proper location they can stay alive up to 1000 years. It is Oregon’s state tree and with the help of its thick bark it can withstand minor fires which has been useful these past few years. This tree is a staple in our ecosystem because Deer, Beaver, Rabbits, Elk, and chipmunks all feed off the needles. These trees can be identified by their brownish red colored bark and the blueish green needles that when crushed emit a very strong fragrance.

4. Ponderosa Pine

These trees are one of the most commonly found around Bend and they look very similar to the Douglas Fir. The keyways to tell them apart are the Ponderosa Pine needles come in groups of three. They also have a special sparking effect when you look up through the tree from the bottom. This sparking is caused by the way the sunlight travels through the flat needles. These trees are usually taller than the Douglas Fir with an average height of 175 feet. Similarly, to the Douglas Fir, these trees have very thick bark that offers them a lot of protection from wildfires. This is one of the most common trees used for lumber harvest because of its dense and heavy wood. These trees can be most easily identified by getting up close and smelling their bark (weird), their bark is known to have a vanilla or butterscotch aroma.

3. Big Leaf Maple

Also known as the Oregon Maple they can grown rapidly, gaining over three feet of height each year. This maple tree has the largest leaves out of any species with leaves as big as 12 inches across. It is most commonly seen growing in moist areas such as along stream banks and water ways. The Big Leaf can be identified by its greyish-brown bark that has shallow grooves in it. It also has small greenish-yellow flowers that can be found during early spring. This tree supports large amounts of wildlife as squirrels and mice are known to eat the seeds while elk and deer are known to eat the twigs and saplings. The wood from this tree has many uses including furniture, cabinets and musical instruments.

2. Western Larch

This tree is more unique than most because it reproduces with cones, similarly to the Douglas Fir or the Ponderosa Pine. However, both of those trees are evergreen meaning they don’t loose their leaves in the winter. The Western Larch is one of the few trees to reproduce with cones and still loose its leaves in the winter. This is a pine tree can be identified by its reddish-brown bark and yellowish-green needles. Like many Oregon trees it has very thick bark to help protect it from the frequent wildfires. These were important trees to the Native Americans who were able to harvest the sap and inner bark which both had natural sugars in them. They are capable of living up to 900 years.

1. Pacific Dogwood

The pacific dog wood not only looks extremely beautiful, but it also has many different uses. The Native Americans would use the bark to make brown dyes as well as medicine to help with stomach pain. They would also use the small plants to weave into baskets. Still to this day the wood from this tree is used to make many different household objects from cabinets and piano keys to golf clubs and daggers. They can grow up to 70 feet tall and can be identified by their smooth dark bark. They produce whitish green flowers that bloom during the spring and fall.