Cottonwood and Balsam Poplar | Geophysical Institute The Klukwan giant holds the national record for black cottonwood diameter Its nearest rival, a tree near Salem, Oregon, does hold the national height record The Klukwan giant belies the belief that trees tend to get smaller the farther north one goes Both balsam poplar and cottonwood have value for fuel wood, pulp and lumber
Northern Tree Habitats - Geophysical Institute Interior Alaskan forests have only six native tree species: white spruce, black spruce, quaking aspen, balsam poplar, larch (tamarack) and paper birch Northern Canadian forests have all of those, plus jack pine, balsam fir and lodgepole pine Since northern Canada and interior Alaska share the same grueling climate and extremes of daylength, why are the Canadian tree species absent from
Tree Rings and History | Geophysical Institute A tree's age can be easily determined by counting its growth rings, as any Boy or Girl Scout knows Annually, the tree adds new layers of wood which thicken during the growing season and thin during the winter These annual growth rings are easily discernible (and countable) in cross-sections of the tree's trunk In good growing years, when sunlight and rainfall are plentiful, the growth rings
More on Why Tree Trunks Spiral | Geophysical Institute I eventually found a tree with a spiral lightning mark and it followed the spiral grain exactly One tree, of course, proves nothing "But why should the tree spiral? More speculation here: Foliage tends to be thicker on the south side of the tree because of better sunlight
The secret life of red squirrels | Geophysical Institute Stan Boutin has climbed more than 5,000 spruce trees in the last 30 years He has often returned to the forest floor knowing if a ball of twigs and moss within the tree contained newborn red squirrel pups Over the years, those squirrels have taught Boutin and his colleagues many things, including an apparent ability to predict the future
Burls - Geophysical Institute Burls, spherical woody growths on the trunks of spruce, birch and other trees, are commonly found throughout wooded parts of Alaska
Tropical Fossils in Alaska | Geophysical Institute A 20-inch fossil palm leaf that once waved over a tropical forest in Alaska 45-60 million years ago The fossil was found in rocks near the Malaspina Glacier Photo from the U S Geological Survey, Dept of the Interior
Bark Beetles in Spruce Trees | Geophysical Institute Bark beetles attack spruce trees in early summer These brownish black beetles are common throughout Alaska and Yukon Territory where they kill trees by boring through the bark and feeding and breeding in the phloem (inner bark)--the thin layer of soft tissue directly beneath the bark If the beetles girdle the phloem, the tree will die since the phloem is the vital path that transports food
Feltleaf willows: Alaska’s most abundant tree | Geophysical Institute The most plentiful moose food in the state — and probably Alaska’s most numerous tree — is the feltleaf willow, which was once called the Alaska willow As its name implies, the feltleaf sprouts canoe-shaped green leaves that feel fuzzy on the underside
The Kodiak Treeline | Geophysical Institute Spruce trees planted on the islands by the Russians in 1805 are doing just fine and reseeding themselves naturally, although the total tree population hardly amounts to a forest In recent years, trees have been planted at military bases along the chain, and the State is now shipping out seedlings for reforestation projects all over Alaska