Western Larch Tamarack Subalpine Larch

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TREES of BC Western larch Tamarack Subalpine larch (Larix occidentalis) (Larix laricina) (Larix lyallii) Bark Mature trees develop thick, grooved plate-like bark with Bark cinnamon-coloured Bark The bark is thin, deeply scales similar to the Red-brown, thin, grooved, and flakes into Ponderosa pine. and scaly. reddish- to purplish- Leaves Leaves brown scales. New needles are soft green, turning golden yellow Needles are three-sided and blue-green, Leaves in the fall, and broadly triangular in cross section. turning bright yellow in autumn. They grow in They are long, clustered in bunches of 15 to 30 on clusters of 15 to 25 on short woody projections Needles are soft bluish-green and turn golden in stubby, woody projections which remain on the which remain on the twig after the needles fall. the fall. They are four-sided and grow in clusters twig after the needles fall. of 30 to 40 on short, woody projections which Cones remain on the twigs after the needles fall. The Cones The small, round seed cones are red at flowering Subalpine larch has woolly hair on its buds Seed cones are elongated and red to reddish- and turn brown with age. Pollen cones are yellow. and twigs. brown. The scales have white hairs on the lower Cones surface and prominent, long slender bracts. Habitat Pollen cones are yellow. Tamarack is a northern species which grows mainly The small, egg-shaped seed cones are reddish- east of the Rockies and in a few isolated groups yellow to purple when young. Between each scale of the cone there are prominent bracts. Habitat of trees in the Nechako Valley. It is usually found Pollen cones are yellow. Western larch grows at low to mid with Black spruce on poorly drained soils, bogs and swamps, and on cool, moist, north-facing slopes. elevations in the southern interior Habitat and is found in mixed forests, but can Subalpine larch grows at high elevations in very occasionally be found in pure groups of cold, snowy areas, often on rocky, gravelly soils. 80 m trees after a severe wildfire. It demands It grows with Whitebark pine and Subalpine fir. full sunlight and grows well on fire- Subalpine larch can also form pure groups of blackened soil. Fire releases nutrients trees which provide a spectacular show of which it uses to grow faster than its autumn colours. companion species. It is quite sensitive to frost damage because it continues to grow from bud-burst in spring through to September; most evergreen conifers stop growing in mid-July. Western Larch Tamarack Subalpine Larch 15 m 15 m Produced by the BC National Forest Week Coalition For more information, please visit: bcnfw.ca.

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Review of British Columbia's Contemporary and Projected
Review of British Columbia’s contemporary and projected western larch seed planning zones in light of climate change. Barry Jaquish Research and Knowledge Management Branch, B.C. Ministry of Forests and Range Kalamalka Forestry Centre, Vernon, B.C. February 26, 2010 Background The catastrophic effects of mountain pine beetle on the forests of central British Columbia combined with the projected effects of climate change have stimulated intense debate over forest management throughout the region. One commonly suggested approach to mitigating these effects is to increase the region’s ecosystem complexity through the planting of either exotic tree species or native species whose distribution lies outside the central Interior. While the benefits of introducing exotic species remains controversial and speculative, the assisted, or facilitated, migration of native species presents a valuable tool for enhancing ecological complexity and ensuring the species’ pace of migration matches the expected rate of climate change. Western larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt), a species native to the upper Columbia River basin in southeastern B.C. (Fig. 1), is often suggested as a desirable candidate for introduction because of its rapid early growth, desirable wood properties, and generalist mode of adaptation. Indeed, western larch is already commonly planted north of its native range in southeastern B.C. (Plate 1) and over the last three decades numerous small operational and research plantings have demonstrated western larch’s reforestation potential on many sites throughout the central Interior (Plates 2, 3, 4, and 5). Ecologically, it appears that western larch’s fundamental niche exceeds its realized niche. Climate envelope modelling also suggests that the future climate space amenable to western larch lies far north of its contemporary distribution.
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