Tsuga canadensis
eastern hemlock
Eastern hemlock has a nodding" form defined by it's limbs and leaders and can be recognized at great distances. Some rank this tree among the "quality plants" to add to the 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.
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Range Map
-The native range of eastern hemlock, USFS.
Eastern Hemlock Habitat and Culture
(silvics courtesy of Silvics Manual, USFS)
Wood Technical Fact Sheet
(courtesy of Hardwoods of North America, Forest Products Lab, USFS)
Fire Effects On
(courtesy of U.S. Forest Service, Fire Effects)
From Virginia Tech w/Photos
(Big List courtesy of VT Dendrology)
Species Documentation and Data
(The BEST conifer data on the Internet, Gymnosperm Database, Editor C. J. Earle)
North American Timber Types
(courtesy About Forestry)
The Great American Coniferous Forest
(courtesy About Forestry)
Recent Champion: 165' height, 38' spread, 202" circumf., Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
National Register of Big Trees
Quick Stats
Common Names: Abete del Canada, American hemlock, black hemlock, Canadese hemlock, Canadese hemlock-den, Canadian hemlock, eastern hemlock, hemlock spruce, Huron pine, kanadensisk tsuga, New England hemlock, Pennsylvania hemlock, perusse, pine, pruche de l'est, pruche prusse, red hemlock, sapin du Canada, schierlingstanne, spruce, spruce hemlock, spruce pine, tsuga canadese, tsuga del Canada
Habitat: The sites they occupy are universally characterized as being moist to very moist but with good drainage.
Description: is a slow-growing long-lived tree which unlike many trees grows well in shade. It may take 250 to 300 years to reach maturity and may live for 800 years or more.
Uses: Eastern hemlock is used principally for lumber and pulpwood. The lumber is used largely in building construction for framing, sheathing, subflooring, and roof boards, and in the manufacture of boxes, pallets, and crates.
