Ark: Survival Evolved All Types of Trees Explained

Discover everything you need to know about all types of trees in Ark: Survival Evolved and how to harvest them.

Ark: Survival Evolved All Types of Trees Explained
Ark: Survival Evolved All Types of Trees Explained (Source: Studio Wildcard)

ARK: Survival Evolved is a popular survival game that takes you to a universe full of historical creatures. You need to survive being stranded on several maps that are filled with dangerous creatures like dinosaurs and fantasy monsters. Players use firearms and weapons to defend against creatures and other enemies. You need different items that you can use for several different purposes, and trees play a crucial role in granting useful items, wood, and thatch.

Players must learn how to harvest them and which weapons are good to gain specific items from specific types of trees. You can use different types of tools to harvest the trees or tame the animals to damage the trees as well. In this guide, we’ll discuss all types of trees in Ark: Survival Evolved and which items you can obtain from these trees.

Trees Overview in Ark: Survival Evolved

Trees are one of the important renewable resources in ARK: Survival Evolved. They provide essential resources that you can use later in the game. Different types of trees are present in different biomes based on their rarity. Redwood Trees are located in Redwood Forest biomes like Ragnarok, Valguero, and Lost Island. Swamp Trees are located in Swamp biomes, providing you with a good amount of Rare Mushrooms, Wood, and Thatch.

You can find the Joshua Trees in desert biomes like Lost Island and Scorched Earth. These trees provide Wood, Thatch, and Sap. Make sure you have Hatchet or Therizinosaurus to harvest them. Burnt Trees are located in volcanic biomes like Genesis or The Island. Equip a Hatchet or Chainsaw to harvest these types of trees.

All Types of Trees in Ark: Survival Evolved

Here are all the different types of trees in Ark: Survival Evolved that you will come across while progressing.

  • Swamp Trees- Mangrove trees that can be found in the swamp areas, providing rare mushrooms along with the thatch.
  • Young Redwood Trees- Smaller redwood trees provide more wood than larger redwood trees.
  • Burnt Tree- These types of trees are the main source of charcoal, which is good for crafting gunpowder.
  • Joshua Tree- You can find these in the Scorched Earth and Extinction maps, providing Sap that is useful in many crafting recipes.
  • Lamp Posts- They light up an area in all directions and you can place it underwater.

Swamp Trees

swamp trees ark survival

Swamp Trees are unique trees that provide wood, thatch, and rare mushrooms. However, these types of trees are located in dangerous biomes in ARK. You can find them in swamp biomes across various maps. Swamp trees come with distinct characteristics, granting different resources. While harvesting from Mangrove Trees, the ratio of thatch to wood that the Castoroides gathers is reversed. Swap trees provide wood when harvested with a hatchet, and you get thatch when harvested with a pickaxe.

The items you gain from harvesting the trees depend on the weapon you use. The Rare Mushrooms are useful for taming animals like Procoptodon and Beelzebufo. You can also use them as crafting items. These trees are commonly found near waterlogged areas. Be aware, as leeches can attack you while you harvest the Swamp tree. These leeches can infect you with Swamp Fever, reducing your stamina and health. You can even create a safe base by placing the tree platforms on larger swamp trees. There are some Swamp trees that you cannot harvest.

Young Redwood Trees

redwood mushroom trees ark survival
redwood mushroom trees ark survival

Young Redwood Trees offers more resources than the Swamp Trees, but they are hard to find. You can find these types of trees in Redwood Forest biomes across different maps. The Redwood Forest Biome is located in the southern center of The Island. Redwood trees have wide trunks and high treetops that can’t be destroyed. You can build tree bases using Wooden Tree Platforms and Metal Tree Platforms. The Redwood Forest Biome is surrounded by a river to the north and a swamp to the south. This biome is considered as one of the most dangerous biomes to traverse in the game.

Animals like Compies, piranhas, Titanboas, Raptors, Allosaurus, Carnos, Terror Birds, Bears, and Spinos can attack you while roaming in this biome. Young Redwood Trees are smaller in size than the regular Redwood Trees, but still taller than the normal trees in the game. You can harvest the Young Redwood Trees for Wood, Thatch, and Sap. Use a hatchet for wood and a pickaxe for Thatch. However, these types of trees don’t support tree platforms. You can also get the Sap, but it depends on the map you’re in. If you’re looking to create some space for your base, then you need to clear the Young Redwood Trees. However, they do not serve as elevated base locations in Ark: Survival Evolved.

Burnt Tree

Burnt trees are found on the Lava Biome and they yield small amounts of Charcoal. Volcano Plains and The Great Trench are two other locations where you can get these types of trees. Burnt Trees can be harvested for Wood, Thatch, and Charcoal. Charcoal is a rare item that you can obtain from Burnt trees in Lava Biomes, The Great Trench, and Volcano Plains. These trees appear charred, blackened, and lifeless, and they represent the volcanic activity. You can find them mostly in heating biomes, but you will encounter animals like Magmasaurs, Wyverns, and Rock Elementals in these areas. Make sure you have a Hatchet and Pickaxe to harvest them and gain useful resources. Burnt Trees can be found in Ragnarok, near the volcanic zones.

Joshua Tree

joshua tree ark survival

Joshua Trees in Ark: Survival Evolved yields a small amount of Sap. These unique trees are located in desert biomes like Ragnarok, Valguero, or Scorched Earth. They can be harvested with a hatchet, pickaxe, or chainsaw to obtain sap. Find the “Furry” Joshua trees in the Badlands and High Desert. Darker Joshua trees provide you with additional Sap. Sap is a resource that can be used for crafting and baiting. Harvest the “furry” Joshua trees with a Pickaxe, Hatchet, or Chainsaw on Scorched Earth.

Keep in mind that Joshua trees have fairy bark all the way up the tree and spiky leaves on top with little pine cones up the top. The other way to get the Sap in the Desert Bio from the Joshua trees, which are near the Desert Titan Cave. These trees have short to medium height and come with twisted trunks. Most of them are harvestable, while some cannot be harvested. You can encounter deadly creatures like Thorny Dragons, Rock Elementals, Raptors, and Terror Birds in desert biomes. Get ready and traverse to the dessert biomes to harvest the Joshua Tree to gain wood, thatch, and cactus sap.

Lamp Posts

lamp post ark survival

Lamp Posts are harvestable structures that allow you to gain items like Crystal, Elemental Dust, Electronics, and Scrap Metal. Crystals are items that can be shaped into lenses, used as electronic components, or mixed into powerful explosives. Elemental Dust is a small pile of Dust that could be refined into an Element or Element Shards. Harvesting these trees provides you useful items that you can utilize in the game for several purposes. Lamp Posts are abandoned trees that you can find throughout the Wasteland and near the ruins of the city. Scrap Metal you obtain from Lamp Posts is smelt into Scrap Metal Ingots. While roaming in the Lunar biomes, you can encounter creatures like Extinction or deadly hazards. So, get ready and embark on these biomes to harvest the Lamp Posts to gain useful items.

How to harvest trees in ARK: Survival Evolved?

Simply walk to a tree and either punch it with your fists or use a tool like a hatchet to harvest trees in ARK: Survival Evolved. You can also use a pickaxe, or a chainsaw to directly hit the tree. This allows you to collect wood from it. The other way to harvest wood more efficiently is the use of dinosaurs like the Castoroides. Use a dedicated harvesting tool to yield more wood per hit than the fists. It’s best to tame dinosaurs like the Castoroides for efficient wood gathering. You can harvest different types of wood with varying qualities based on the tree type. Use your bare hands to collect more Thatch than Wood. But you can suffer from recoil damage, so this is not the best way to harvest the trees in Ark: Survival Evolved.

You can avoid the recoil damage by using weapons like a Pickaxe. These weapons and tools are harvested directly from the trees, except the Sickle. Use the Pickaxe to yield thatch and the Hatchet to get more wood. Chainsaw acts as a wood modifier, making it the best tool to gather wood. Creatures can also help you yield items from the trees. They can damage the trees by attacking them, sprinting into them, or walking near them. Some creatures can harvest resources from trees. So, these creatures can split into affinity as some are best for wood and others are good for Thatch. Tools, creatures, and techniques are required to efficiently harvest trees to maximize resource yield. The best trees to harvest are Redwood Trees, Swamp Trees, Joshua Trees, and Burnt Trees. Chainsaw is one of the best tools for Wood harvesting.

Benefits of Trees in Ark: Survival Evolved

Here are the benefits of trees in Ark: Survival evolved.

  • Harvesting the Burst tree provides you with Charcoal that is required for crafting Gunpowder and advanced ammunition.
  • Trees are the best sources of acquiring items like wood, thatch, fiber, and berries.
  • You can use the tree to build platforms and tree houses. 
  • Each tree has two snap points where you can attach a platform. 
  • Use the Re-Fertilizer to re-grow the trees, allowing you to gain a high amount of items when you harvest them.
  • You can use the tree as a natural cover from enemy players and wild animals.
  • Redwood Trees allow you to build elevated bases.
  • Harvesting Joshua Trees allows you to gain Cactus Sap. This item is useful for water conservation.

FAQs about x in Ark: Survival Evolved

How to get charcoal in Ark: Survival Evolved?

Burnt trees are found in the Lava Biome and they yield small amounts of Charcoal. Charcoal is a rare item that you can obtain from Burnt trees in Lava Biomes, The Great Trench, and Volcano Plains.

How to get Rare Mushrooms in Ark: Survival Evolved?

Harvest the swamp trees in swamp biomes, particularly mangrove trees, or harvest from Giant Beaver Dams. Sometimes rare mushrooms can drop when mining crystals. 

How to Get Sap in Ark: Survival Evolved?

Harvesting the Redwood tree in the Redwood Forest Biome allows you to gain the Sap. This biome is located in the southern center of The Island. Joshua trees also grant you Sap and they are located in desert biomes like Ragnarok, Valguero, or Scorched Earth.

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