Environment Planet Earth Eastern Hemlock Tree Images and Facts Tsuga Canadensis Is a Long-Lived Evergreen That Thrives in Shade By Steve Nix Steve Nix Writer University of Georgia Steve Nix is a member of the Society of American Foresters and a former forest resources analyst for the state of Alabama. Learn about our editorial process Updated March 20, 2019 Planet Earth Outdoors Weather Conservation Eastern hemlock has a "nodding" form defined by its limbs and leaders and can be recognized at great distances. Some rank this tree among the "quality plants" to add to the shaded landscape. They are "long-lived, refined in character and have no off-season" according to Guy Sternberg in Native Trees in North American Landscapes. Unlike most conifers, eastern hemlock has to have shade provided by hardwoods to regenerate. Unfortunately, stands of these trees are being damaged by the hemlock wooly adelgid. Introduction to Eastern Hemlock Joanne Levesque/Getty Images Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), also called Canada hemlock or hemlock spruce, is a slow-growing long-lived tree which unlike many conifers grows well in shade. Hemlock may take 250 to 300 years to reach maturity and may live for 800 years or more. The less common Carolina and mountain hemlock are very close genetically to the Eastern hemlock Tsuga family of conifers. They have similar needles sprout all around the branch where Eastern hemlock needles occur in flat sprays in the lower branches. Hemlock Wooley Adelgid USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database/Wikimedia Commons The Eastern and Carolina hemlock forest is now under attack and in the early stages of potentially being decimated by the hemlock wooly adelgid (HWA) or Adelges tsugae. Adelgids are small, soft bodied aphids that feed exclusively on coniferous plants using piercing-sucking mouth parts. They are an invasive insect and thought to be of Asian origin. The Silviculture of Eastern Hemlock A line drawing of the leaves and cones from Britton and Brown's 1913 Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada. USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database/Wikimedia Commons The soil requirements for eastern hemlock are not exacting but, generally, the tree needs a moist to very moist but well-drained soil. Eastern hemlock grows from sea level to about 2,500 feet in elevation in the northeastern and northern portions of the range. The Images of Eastern Hemlock Chhe/Wikimedia Commons Forestryimages.org provides several images of parts of Eastern hemlock. The tree is a conifer and the lineal taxonomy is Pinopsida > Pinales > Pinaceae > Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr. Eastern hemlock is also commonly called Canada hemlock or hemlock spruce. The Range of Eastern Hemlock Natural distribution map for Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock). Elbert L. Little, Jr./Wikimedia Commons The northern limit of eastern hemlock extends from outliers in northeastern Minnesota and the western one-third of Wisconsin eastward through northern Michigan, south-central Ontario, extreme southern Quebec, through New Brunswick, and all of Nova Scotia. Within the United States the species is found throughout New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and the middle Atlantic States, extending westward from central New Jersey to the Appalachian Mountains, then southward into northern Georgia and Alabama. Outliers also appear in extreme southern Michigan and western Ohio, with scattered islands in southern Indiana and east of the Appalachians in the middle Atlantic States. Eastern Hemlock at Virginia Tech Dendrology Stand of eastern hemlock and eastern white pine in Tiadaghton State Forest, Pennsylvania. (Note the hemlocks' deeply fissured bark.). Nicholas A. Tonelli/Wikimedia Commons Check out Virginia Tech Dendrology's image gallery for more eastern hemlock photos. Fire Effects on Eastern Hemlock John McColgan/Wikimedia Commons Eastern hemlock is very susceptible to fire because of its thin bark, shallow roots, low-branching habit, and heavy litter deposits. It is possibly the most fire-sensitive mesophytic tree species in its range.