March 2, 2003                       New Moon                                                                                     

Rooting for Pennsylvania's Eastern Hemlock Trees Pictured today is the beautiful root system of eastern hemlock trees, taken by WPC Land Steward Volunteer Richard Liberto, at WPC's Bear Run Nature Reserve. To a great extent, site conditions determine the rooting habits of eastern hemlock. When the watertable is near the surface, root systems are shallow. On better drained sites, deeper rooting patterns may be observed. E astern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), also called Canada hemlock, is the state tree of Pennsylvania. It is a slow-growing long-lived tree which unlike many trees grows well in shade. It may take 250 to 300 years to reach maturity and may live for 800 years or more. Hemlock bark was once the source of tannin for the leather industry; now the wood is important to the pulp and paper industry. Many species of wildlife benefit from the excellent habitat that a dense stand of hemlock provides. This tree also ranks high for ornamental planting. The largest known eastern hemlock tree in Pennsylvania is at Cook Forest State Park, with a d.b.h. of 193 inches and a height of 125 feet, and a grown spread of 70 feet, it comes close to being the biggest eastern hemlock in the nation. The national champion is at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.   E-mail Today's WPC Daily to a Friend! Friend's e-mail address: Your Message: Did you receive this WPC Daily from a friend? Want to get your own, every day? Click here to join the mailing list... More about the Bear Run Nature Reserve  View WPC Daily for the month of February Vote for your favorite WPC Daily in February

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