Tree Trackers

Near-native trees are species that are not currently native in a region, but are native in a neighboring ecoregion. For example, swamp white oak is considered a near-native in the north-central region of Minnesota because it is natively found in southeastern Minnesota.

The near-native species we're interested in were identified as part of Extension Forestry's Climate-Ready Woodlands program. 

Any observations of target species in Minnesota will be included in the Tree Trackers dataset. No extra steps or signups required. Joining the project is optional, but it’s a great way to follow updates and see what others are finding!

Taking clear photos is key to making a great observation in iNaturalist. It's also helpful to have close-up photos of multiple parts of the tree, such as leaves, bark, and seeds. Watch this video on iNaturalist to learn how to take identifiable species photos. 

Don't sweat it! iNaturalist has a pretty great built-in suggested species feature. Additionally, all observations are independently verified by other users in the community before they are marked as Research Grade. Read more about data quality on iNaturalist.

Nope! We're big fans of making observations of any nature you see. While there are certain species of trees we're really interested in learning more about, you shouldn't let that stop you from making observations of other plant, fungus and animal species that you want to record.

Some volunteers may see this project as a fun opportunity to go on a little "treasure hunt" for these species of interest. Other folks may just happen across one as they are out on a hike. And there are literally thousands of iNaturalist users who have made observations of these trees without even knowing about the Tree Trackers project! As long as the observations are public, they'll be added to the dataset and help us with this research project.

They sure do! Just make sure when making observations of planted trees that you mark it as "captive or cultivated" in iNaturalist. Read more about checking captive/cultivated on iNaturalist.

Heck no! Anyone can make observations anywhere on public property. So find yourself a state forest, a park reserve, or even wander along a city boulevard to collect observations of trees you see. Just please don't go wandering onto private lands without permission from the landowner.

That being said, if you are a landowner and have planted any of these trees in your yard or landscape, you can opt to join the Tree Steward Journal project to help researchers fill in vital knowledge gaps about the survival, health and ecological interactions of these trees. 

While all observations posted to iNaturalist are public, there are tools to restrict access to an observation’s geographic information. Learn more about geoprivacy in iNaturalist.

Besides recruiting everyone you know to use iNaturalist (only slightly kidding), there are several other ways you can help!

1. Become a Tree Steward Journal volunteer. If you have planted any of these trees in your yard or landscape, you can opt to join the Tree Steward Journal project to help researchers fill in vital knowledge gaps about the survival, health and ecological interactions of trees. 

2. Become an iNaturalist Verifier volunteer. The amount of data that's already been collected on these trees is amazing, and we could use your help with iNaturalist verifications. If you are interested in learning more about trees or becoming an expert on certain species, this could be for you. This volunteer activity is done entirely online and could be a good fit for volunteers with limited mobility or anyone looking for a rainy day project. 

3. Join one of our Terrestrial Invasives Participatory Science (TIPS) projects. Each year, we focus on a few priority species where your observations help researchers and state agency partners better understand where invasives are spreading and how to respond.

Questions or comments about this project can be directed to Extension forester Angela Gupta, agupta@umn.edu.