Eastern Hemlock (Pinales Pinaceae Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr.)
Distribution (Image by John Bailey)
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| 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 westeard 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, wildwnc.org). |
Climate, Soils, and Topography
Climate
| Eastern hemlock is generally restricted to regions with cool humid climates. In the northern areas January temeratures average about 10 degrees F and July temperatures about 60 degrees F. Precipitation ranges from less than 29 inches in heavy snowfall areas of the north to more than 50 inches per year, about one-half occuring as summer precipitation. In the more productive areas near the Atlantic coast and Southern Appalachians, January temperatures range as high as 42 degrees F and annual precipitation exceeds 60 inches. The frost free period is less then 80 days at the nothern limits and nearly 200 days in the eastern and southern portions of the range(Eastern Hemlock, wildwnc.org). |
Soils and Topography
The soil requirements for the Eastern hemlock are not exacting. They are universally characterized as being very moist to very moist but with good drainage. In the Lake States the species grows on upland sandy loams, loamy sands, and silt loams, often with an abundance of ground or coarse rocky material throughout the upper profile deposited from glacial or fluvial material. In Canada and the northeastern United States the soils under eastern hemlock tend to be shallow loams and silt loams, often over granite, gneiss, and slate bedrock. Typically, most soils are higly acid, particularly in the upper horizons, but some are near neutral. The heavy, slowly decomposing litter fosters podzolization or leaching as the stand increases in age (Eastern Hemlock, wildwnc.org). On sites in which Eastern White pine is a major component, the soils tend to be of a sandy texture, well mixed with humus, moist, and well drained. Scattered patches of hemlock also occur on the finer glacial tills as well, but in general these soils have less hemlock than the coarser soils (Eastern Hemlock, wildwnc.org) Eastern hemlock grows from sea level to about 2,400 feet in elevation in the northeastern and northern parts of its range. Most commonly it is found on benches, flats, and swamp borders, provided the peat and muck soils are shallow. On the Alleghany Plateau, especially in New York and Pennsylvania, most of the hemlock grows between 1,000 and 3,000 feet. In the southern Appalachians the most frequent occurances are at elevations of 2,000 to 5,000 feet and are often restricted to north and east slopes, coves, or cool moist valleys. Ouliers tend to be severely restricted by a combination of edaphic and climatic factors (Eastern Hemlock, wildwnc.org). |
Physical Characteristics
Image from NCSU dendrology webpage
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Leaves: 1/3" to 2/3" in length, long, linear, tapering from base to apex, dark yellow-green, rounded or slightly emarginate, marked below with 2 white lines of stoma; persistent until the third season (Harlow, p.147). Cones: 1/2" to 2/3" in length, oblong-ovoid. with suborbicular, smooth-margined scales; shedding their seeds during the winter and often persistent during the next season; seeds 1/16" long, with several resin vesicles; wings terminal, broad; about 187,000 seeds to the pound (Harlow, p. 147). Bark: On young trees flaky or scaly; soon with wide, flat ridges; on old trees heavily and deeply furrowed; freshly cut surfaces showing purplish streaks (Harlow, p. 147). Height: Average between 60 and 70 feet high (Harlow, p. 148). |
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