Tamarack

Tamarack, also commonly called eastern larch, American larch or hackmatack, is a deciduous conifer whose green needles turn a showy yellow in fall before falling to the ground as winter approaches. This is a tree of very cold climates, growing to the tree line across North America. It is native to boggy soils, wet poorly-drained woodlands and some moist upland soils primarily in the boreal forests from central Alaska, Yukon Territories and British Columbia to Newfoundland dipping south to Minnesota, Illinois and Pennsylvania. This is a medium to large sized tree that typically grows to 40-60' (less frequently to 80’) tall with an open pyramidal shape and horizontal branching. Slender green needles (to 1 1/4" long) grow in brush-like clusters (up to 30 needles per cluster) which appear at the ends of short spur-like shoots spaced along the branches. Rounded cones (to 1”) mature to brown. Bark on mature trees is a scaly, reddish-brown.