Trees have given our ancestors the building blocks for self-reliance, and those same trees are here to help us today. From fiber and medicine, to food and drinking water, many tree species have something to offer us through all four seasons. Get to know these fifteen common genera through this gallery of useful survival trees (and a few bonus woody plants).
Read MoreBlack locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a fast growing tree in the legume family that can reach up to 75 feet in height. It has deeply furrowed bark with fl at-topped ridges, and seedlings and root sprouts have long thorns and grow rapidly.
Read MoreThe eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) is a cottonwood poplar native to North America, growing throughout the eastern, central and southwestern United States as well as the southern Canadian prairies, the southernmost part of eastern Canada and northeastern Mexico. It is one of the fastest growing trees in North America.
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