Trees have “Fingerprints.”

Some people only look at trees in the fall, when leaves flame into a colorful farewell salute to the warmth of the growing season.

Some people value only trees with eye-catching flowers or succulent fruits.

Some people never notice trees at all.

And then there are dendrologists. Dendrology is the scientific study of trees and woody plants.

Carrie Blair of Marshall, amateur botanist, master gardener and aspiring dendrologist, has a passion for trees. She took her first course in dendrology 18 vears ago at the National Wildlife Federation in Vienna, and she still has the tree identification book she made for that class. The dried leaves and seeds pressed within its pages have faded somewhat, but Ms. Blair's interest in the subject hasn't diminished a bit.

The petite, energetic woman still enjoys seeking out and exploring strange new woods. "Trees are usually easiest to identify in the spring or fall, when they're doing their showiest thing," she explains. "The best way to study is to walk, at least once a month, and take notes."

When Ms. Blair hikes, she carries a portable tree-identification kit of her own design. It includes tree, flower and grass identification books, a notepad and pen, a tape measure and a magnifying glass. She also brings a small bag to collect leaves of species she can't identify so she can take them home for further study.

Boxes of books, bags of collected leaves and seed specimens crowd the back of Ms. Blair's station wagon when she heads out to guide nature walks. The recently elected president of the local chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society, Ms. Blair spends a lot of time spreading the word about native plants. She visits schools, attends workshops at the State Arboretum at Blandy and generally works to get folks to take a little more interest in the natural world around them.

Recently, she's been taking extra time to walk and study trees, to assist the Fauquier Master Gardeners with a brochure they're preparing about the notable trees in Fauquier. Warrenton resident Janie Ericsson initiated the project. "It's something I've wanted to do ever since I joined the master gardeners," says Mrs. Ericsson. "Ever since I saw the Master Tree Plan which Meade Palmer made for the county, I thought it would be nice to put together a smaller book as a learning tool."

The planned booklet, which will serve as a fund-raiser for master gardener projects, will enable people to identify specific trees in specific locations in the county. Mrs. Ericsson, who also coordinates the Liberty Elm project in the county, says her interest in trees has grown stronger through her years of traveling around the world. "I've lived abroad for 30 years," she explains. "I've learned the trees in Africa and England and Japan, but when I returned to this country I was dazzled by American trees."