Tree Talk: Eastern Larch

We love larch! This time on Tree Talk we take a look at eastern larch (Larix laricina). Also called tamarack, this predominantly boreal species is found from the Arctic tree line in Canada/Alaska all the way south to some isolated remnant patches in the mid-Atlantic, where we found these specimens. Eastern larch is one of only two conifer species native to North America which is deciduous. Its needles, held on small spur stems, turn a lovely golden color in autumn. Tamarack has been an important timber species historically, but is now not valued commercially for its wood. It is important ecologically as a tree which can establish on incredibly wet soils, and a tree whose sparse canopy allows enough light to reach vigorous understory growth.

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Recorded on 6/3/21 in Moshannon State Forest, the Quehanna Wilds, by Allyson Wells.