Twig characteristics. The twigs on a tree are last year's growth. It is woody, but not yet covered in bark. Oftentimes, twigs have a distinguishing color or arrangement of buds.

Leaves are the most useful and frequently used characteristics for identifying the species of a tree, but as trees lose their leaves in the autumn, other features become important. The bark ...

The bark of some trees even has a scent in winter. Sassafras trees smell very spicy and black cherry trees have a bitter almond scent. Next, look at the tree’s buds.