From Steve Nix,
Your Guide to Forestry.
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A. Tree species are not distributed at random and grow in ranges and cover types. Every tree species is associated with it's own unique habitat and natural range. By determining the tree range for a species you can either eliminate or include a tree for identification.

Determining a tree's range is another method which helps you discern whether a tree grows naturally where the tree you are identifying is growing. You can possibly (but not always) eliminate trees that don't normally live wild in the forest where your tree lives.

Not all tree species grow equally well throughout the United States. In fact, trees of a species have certain biological constraints that confine them naturally to specific regions. These regions of natural collections of tree species are called forest types.

These unique timber types are located throughout North America. I have mapped these ranges for use in tree identification. Visit my Forest Types of the United States. I have also described a macro view of the American forest at The American Forest Type.