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Eastern Hemlock, A Common Tree in North America

Tsuga canadensis, A Top 100 Common Tree in North America

By , About.com Guide

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.

The Images of Eastern Hemlock

Eastern Hemlock
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, hemlock spruce

The Range of Eastern Hemlock

Range of Eastern HemlockUSFS
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 Conifer.org

Ethnobotany: "The wood is used extensively as construction lumber, and tannins produced by the bark were at one time used for tanning leather. The wood, however, tends to be brittle and inferior to that of the other North American hemlocks. Numerous cultivars of Tsuga canadensis have been developed, including compact shrubs, dwarfs, and graceful trees. Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is the state tree of Pennsylvania."

Fire Effects on Eastern Hemlock

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.

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