Even on the darkest day of the year, when the landscape is leafless and icy, one can still learn to identify tree species.

This weekend, on the Winter Solstice, you can do just that with the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust at Crystal Spring Farm.

Join leaders Chris Cabot (BTLT) and Jan Santerre (Maine Forest Service) for a Winter Tree Identification Walk at 1 p.m. Dec. 21 at the Farmers’ Market Green at Crystal Spring Farm at 277 Pleasant Hill Road in Brunswick.

The walk will include an exploration of the forests around Crystal Spring Farm and an overview of how to recognize the details of winter trees.

Leaves — with their species-specific characteristics — are by far the easiest way to identify trees. But when deciduous trees lose their leaves as they go into dormancy in early winter, leaf-based ID is no longer an option. Instead, the naturalist must study a tree’s form, shape, twigs, buds and bark. Other senses — smell, touch and even taste — may also come into play

Cabot, the land trust’s Land Conservation and Farmland Protection Specialist, has extensive experience identifying trees and shrubs in all seasons for various state agencies and non-profit organizations. He has been leading ecology-based walks since 2005, and uses his knowledge and love of the Maine woods to assist the land trust with its conservation efforts.

Santerre is the Project Canopy Director at the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. She works with cities and towns statewide, providing grant funds to support street and shade tree planting and management, town forest development, and planning. Tree identification was one of her first interests in forestry, and she is still amazed by the diversity of Maine’s forests.