tamarack (Larix Laricina)

How big are tamarack?
Tamarack can grow to about 80 feet tall and 18 inches in diameter.

How long do tamarack live?
Tamarack usually live about 150 years.

What do their leaves look like?
Tamarack do not have leaves, they have needles. Their needles grow in bunches of 15 to 60 needles each. Each needle is 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches long, with a blue green color. Tamaracks are unusual because they loose their needles in the fall and then grow new ones in the spring. In the fall tamaracks turn a beautiful shade of gold and I think have the most beautiful fall colors

What does their bark look like?
Young trees have a smooth gray bark. As the trees mature their bark becomes scaly and reddish-brown.

Where do Tamarack live?
Tamarack are usually found in cold, wet, poorly drained places. They are often found with black spruce and white cedar. However, they can also be found grouped together around the edges of a bog. These trees are North Americas most northerly tree. They are found as far as 72 degrees north, which is way up in Alaska and northern Canada!

What are some other interesting facts about tamarack?
The Ojibwa people of Minnesota used the roots of the Tamerack to sew together pieces of birch bark to make their canoes as well as other things out of birch bark. Tamarack is also known for it's rot-resistant wood, which has been a sought after commodity for a long time.

For more information regarding the trip, sponsorship opportunities, media enquiries, or just to say hello please
e-mail us. Garrett and Alexandra have a volunteer who collects their email and forwards it to them. Please remember that Garrett and Alexandra do not have email themselves and will respond via snail-mail to your e-mail
correspondence. Should you still wish to send them email please remember to include your snail-mail address in your message.