- 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
- Witches Broom | Geophysical Institute
Witches' broom on spruce trees is caused by a rust disease (a kind of fungus disease) The rust lives on the spruce tree throughout the year Each spring, small yellow pustules appear on the new needles of the broom A strong sweet odor, which is easily recognizable, usually accompanies the maturation of these pustules
- 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 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
- 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
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