Great observations and I respect your dedication for wanting to get it right. Possibly.........some of the details you state have to do with our monitors and settings. In my reskins, I have subdued the color saturation balance and did the same with my monitor. The reason is that, to my eyes, some of the trees, and content in general look over saturated in their original appearance.
I want to get it right too.
My route(s) ....when completed will cover several counties in central NY. Some of the vegetation is not found in all counties. What's found near the tracks in Broome county, on the southern end is vastly different than what you'd see near the Adirondack mountains in St. Lawrence County on the northern end
Using the NY state vegetation guide, broken down for each county, and what trees in that county, here's a few from a list I made. I cross-referenced it to what trees are available for T:ANE and their foreign name translations:
This is a small sample covering a few tree varieties found from one county to the next and the descriptions given by the state ( a few of my notes for what counties the are not found in). The list is long......but here's a few. Doing a similar list for your area, I think would help:
ZONES 4 & 5
Watertown: Jefferson Cnty
Carthage: Jefferson Cnty
Lowville: Lewis County
Russian (RMM) Russian (Pofig) English Deutsch Nederlands Francais
Abh Small series Kleinere Gewächse Kleine serie Petite série
Akacia Acacia Akazie Acacia Acacia
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Buk Beech Buche Beuk Hêtre
American beech: Mesic forests. A major component of northern hardwood forests where it is often in association with sugar maples. Beech occurs from sea level in coastal Long Island to high elevation forests in the mountains of northern New York. Not in Chenagno Cnty
Long Beech fern: Cool mesic hardwood, hemlock, and mixed coniferous-hardwoods forests.
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Bereza B Birch Birke Berk Bouleau
yellow birch : Cool mesic forests and swamps. A widespread tree in NY it is dominant or co-dominant in some types of northern hardwood forests as well as cool swamps.Not below Madison cnty
Black Birch: A tree of young forests, rocky slopes, and talus slopes in mesic to dry soils. It is most common in warmer parts of NY and is an early successional species in mesic forests. Jefferson, Madison, Broome cnty's only
River Birch : Riverbanks and low wet areas. Also commonly cultivated. With us primarily in southeastern NY. Onieda only
Paper Birch: A tree of thin poor soils, talus and rocky slopes, and edges of forests and woodlands. In mesic forests it is an early successional species starting in forest clearings, after fire, or logging. Most common at higher elevations and in the northern parts of NY. It can co-occur with B. cordifolia but usually drops out at the highest elevations. Lewis and Jefferson Counties only ..and Catt country : )
Grey Birch: Woodlands, pine barrens, edges of forests, bluffs, successional fields, thickets, disturbed ground, and road sides on thin often rocky poor soils. Responds well to disturbance including fire. NOT in Chenango Cnty
bog birch
Habitat: Rich fens and acidic bogs. It can grow in dense wet shrub thickets in the habitats mentioned but usually does not occur under a tree canopy. It is a rare plant and is restricted to these aforementioned unique habitats. Lewis Country Only
Tree Baum Boom Arbre
Dt Dead tree Toter Baum Dode boom Arbre mort
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Dub Dbl Oak Eiche Eik Chêne
White Oak: Dry to mesic forests. Tolerant of a wide variety of soil types it is lacking in the most xeric woodlands, in cool habitats, and in the richest deepest soils. Some forests were previously selectively logged for this species and perhaps as a result white oak is less frequent than it was formerly. Onieda, Chenango, Broome, Jefferson cnty's
Swamp White Oak: Swamps, wet depressions, and thickets. Often in swamps on ridges and hill tops. Always in at least seasonally wet soils this species is often absent from deep alluvial soils where Quercus macrocarpa occurs. Onieda and Jefferson Cnty only
Scarlet Oak: Dry to dry-mesic forests and woodlands. Predominately on very dry ridges, hilltops, crests, and upper slopes. Perhaps a fire dependent species it can often form dense monospecific stands, and sometimes in the driest situations, the trees appear dwarfed. Onieda and Broome Counties only
Scrub Oak: Pine and other barrens, rocky summits, openings in woodlands, and utility rights-of way. Often on upper slopes, crests, and hilltops in dry acidic thin, sandy, or rocky soils. Oneida, Chenango, and Broome counties only
Bur Oak: Bottomland forests and swamps in deep alluvium, and limestone and alvar woodlands and forests. Usually does not occur in hilltop swamps where Q. bicolor occurs. On limestone bedrock it sometimes occurs in very dry soils. Madison , Broome, and Jefferson counties only
Chestnut Oak: Dry to dry-mesic acidic forests and woodlands. A good indicator of thin dry acidic soils it usually occurs on upper slopes, crests, ridges, and hill tops often with an understory of ericaceous shrubs including Kalmia latifolia, Vaccinium spp, and Gaylussacia baccata. Broome county only
Yellow Oak: Broome County only
Northern Red Oak: The most widespread oak species in New York. Dry to mesic forests in a variety of soil types. It occurs in the coolest climates of any species of oak in New York as well as in warmer more southern forest type. ALL counties
Black Oak: Dry to mesic forests. Prefers two main habitats: dry ridges and upper slopes sometimes with Q. coccinea; and deep slightly acidic often sandy mesic soils on mid to lower slopes. Lewis, Madison, and Oneida counties