The Common Conifers of Southeast Alaska
	The temperate rain forest of the panhandle of Alaska is widely known for its lush vegetation. Conifers, cone-bearing trees such as hemlock, and spruce, seem to be everywhere. In reality, they cover a bit over half of southeast Alaska. Western hemlock (70 percent) and Sitka spruce (20 percent) are the most abundant. Western red cedar, yellow-cedar, mountain hemlock, and shore pine make up most of the rest.
	Sitka spruce - Picea sitchensis Alaska's state tree
	Leaves	Dark Green, 5/8 to 1 inch long Needle sharp, growing in all sides of branches from woody pegs, a trait common only to spruce
	Cones	Light orange-brown, 2 to 3 1/2 inches long Usually found in the top quarter of tree, hanging down from branches Papery scales
	Bark	Thin and smooth, developing scaly plates with age Gray, becoming dark purplish brown with age
	Size at maturity and lifespan	150 to 225 feet in height and 5 to 8 feet in diameter Grows much larger in the southern part of its range 500 to 700 years
	Distribution	Sea level to 3,000 feet elevation in Southeast Alaska Throughout Southeast Alaska, west to Kodiak Island and north to the coast of the Alaska Peninsula
	Both species of hemlock have very thin branches and tops that curve downward, and appear to be gracefully nodding. In the spring, new vegetation bursting from the buds is bright yellow-green. Here's how to tell them apart:
	Western hemlock - Tsuga heterophylla
	Leaves	Light-green to medium-green on top, with two whitish parallel lines beneath, 1/4 to 7/8 inch long Blunt-tipped, soft, shiny, and flat, growing from two sides of branch parallel to the ground
	Cones	Brown, oval-shaped, 5/8 to 1 inch long Thin, papery scales Hanging down at end of twig
	Bark	Reddish-brown when young, turning gray-brown Scaly when young, becoming thick and furrowed with age
	Size at maturity and lifespan	100 to 150 feet in height and 2 to 4 feet in diameter 200 to 500 years
	Distribution	Sea level to subalpine areas Throughout the coastal forest of Southeast Alaska and north to Prince William Sound
	Mountain hemlock - Tsuga mertensiana
	Leaves	Dark blue-green, 1/4 to 1 inch long Soft but more pointed than western hemlock, growing from all sides of the branch in a starlike pattern
	Cones	Purplish when new, brown when mature Cylindrical, 1 to 2 1/2 inches long Thin, papery scales
	Bark	Divided into narrow flattened ridges, becoming thick and deeply furrowed with age Gray when young, turning reddish brown with age
	Size at maturity and lifespan	50 to 100 feet in height and 10 to 30 inches in diameter, prostrate near timberline Slow-growing trees, size 18 to 20 inches in diameter at 180 to 260 years 400 to 500 years
	Distribution	Sealevel to 3,000 to 3,500 feet elevation Throughout Southeast Alaska
	Shore Pine - Pinus contorta Dougl. var contorta
	Leaves	Yellow-green to dark green, 1 to 2 1/4 inches long Two leaves, each a half-round, bundled together, making a circle when pressed together
	Cones	Light brown, egg-shaped, 1 1/4 to 2 inches long Pointed backwards on branches Woody, with stiff prickles on the end of each scale
	Bark	Resinous and scaly, becoming furrowed with age Dark brown to blackish
	Size at maturity and lifespan	Often a small, scrubby tree, 20 to 40 feet in height and 8 to 12 inches in diameter Sometimes 75 feet in height and 18 to 32 inches in diameter on well-drained, sunny sites 200 to 600 years
	Distribution	Especially in coastal muskegs Sea level to alpine zone Throughout Southeast Alaska, north to Yakutat
	Both species of cedar have scale-like needles that look like braided hair. The needles are small, pointed, smoth, and flattened tot eh branch. Though commonly called cedars, they are members of the cypress family. Yellow-cedar, also known as Alaska cedar, is named for its bright yellow heartwood, and western redcedar, for its deep reddish brown heartwood. Both are aromatic and highly resistant to rot. Here's how to tell them apart:
	Yellow-cedar - Chamaecyparis nootkatensis
	Leaves	Dark green, 1/16 to 1/8 inch long
	Cones	Patchy green and black, nearly round, 1/2 inch in diameter Scattered among the needles Sharp central point on each cone scale
	Bark	Shreddy, generally ash gray
	Size at maturity and lifespan	40 to 80 feet in height and 1 to 2 feet in diameter Slow-growing trees, 15 to 20 inches in diameter at 200 to 300 years Up to 1,000 years
	Distribution	Muskegs, alpine meadows, and nearby forests of Southeast Alaska as far north as Prince William Sound Sea level to timberline in Southeast Alaska, though mainly at elevation of 500 to 1,200 feet Common in northern Southeast Alaska scattered in southern Southeast.
	Western redcedar - Thuja plicata
	Leaves	Shiny yellow-green, 1/16 to 1/8 inch long Springy, fan-shaped branches, turning up at the ends
	Cones	Brown, oval-shaped, 1/2 inch long Clustered near end of branches Cone scales woody and curve outward at maturity
	Bark	Fibrous and stringy Cinnamon-red when young, becoming gray with age
	Size at maturity and lifespan	70 to 100 feet in height in Southeast Alaska (growing much taller in souther part of range) abd 2 to 4 feet in diameter (occasionally reaching 6 feet) 300 to 700 years (occasionally 1,000)
	Distribution	Found in coastal forests in Southeast Alaska Sea level to 3,000 feet elevation Southern Southeast Alaska to just north of Sumner Strait

	Other Conifers in Southeast Alaska
	Four other species of cone-bearing plants are found in Southeast Alaska.
	Common mountain juniper, Juniperus communis, is a low-spreading evergreen shrub that grows in muskegs, and on dry slopes and rock outcrops in alpine or subalpine areas.
	Two fir species, Pacific silver fir, abies amabilis and subalpine fir, abies lasiocarpa, are found in this region.The Pacific silver fir is mainly found east and south of Ketchikan on well-drained sites from sea level to 1,000 feet in elevation. The subalpine fir is most common in Misty Fjords National Monument, the head of Lynn Canal, and in areas of recent glaciation, such as valley bottoms, or on moist subalpine slopes near timberline.
	Pacific Yew, Taxus brevifolia, is rare in Southeast Alaska and found only in the most southern part of the panhandle.

Updated August 25, 2000