Misplaced Pages

#755244

41-554: The western larch ( Larix occidentalis ) is a species of larch native to the mountains of western North America ( Pacific Northwest , Inland Northwest ); in Canada in southeastern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta , and in the United States in eastern Washington , eastern Oregon , northern Idaho , and western Montana . It is the most productive of the three species of larch native to North America. The tree

82-447: A century, larches at Seeley Lake and Glacier National Park were endangered by major fires enabled by fuel ladder ; normally smaller fires would have depleted the fuel. In more recent years, many smaller fires have been allowed to take their course. Grouse browse the tree's leaves and buds. The seeds are an important substitute winter food for some birds, notably the pine siskin but also the redpoll , and white-winged crossbill . This

123-890: A cool and fairly humid climate and for this reason they are found in the mountains of the temperate zones, while in the northernmost boreal zones they are also found in the plain. Larch trees go further north than all, reaching in North America and Siberia the tundra and polar ice. The larches are pioneer species not very demanding towards the soil and they are very long-lived trees. They live in pure or mixed forests together with other conifers or more rarely with broad-leaved trees. L. potaninii Batalin L. occidentalis Nuttall L. decidua Miller L. cajanderi Mayr L. griffithii Hooker L. gmelinii (Rupr.) Kuzen. L. kaempferi (Lamb.) Carrière L. laricina (Du Roi) Koch L. lyallii Parlatore L. sibirica Ledeb. In

164-486: A single bud. The leaves (light green) are needle-like, 2 to 5 cm ( 3 ⁄ 4 to 2 in) long, slender (under 1 cm or 1 ⁄ 2  in wide). Larches are among the few deciduous conifers, which are usually evergreen. Other deciduous conifers include the golden larch Pseudolarix amabilis , the dawn redwood Metasequoia glyptostroboides , the Chinese swamp cypress Glyptostrobus pensilis and

205-532: A single bud. The leaves are needle-like, light green, 2 to 5 cm ( 3 ⁄ 4 to 2 in) long, soft and very slender; they turn bright yellow in the fall, leaving the pale orange-brown shoots bare until the next spring. The seed cones are ovoid-cylindric, 2 to 5 cm ( 3 ⁄ 4 to 2 in) long, with 40 to 80 seed scales; each scale bearing an exserted 4 to 8 mm ( 3 ⁄ 16 to 5 ⁄ 16  in) bract . The cones are green to reddish purple when immature, turning brown and

246-547: Is a large deciduous conifer reaching 30 to 60 meters (98 to 197 feet) tall, with a trunk up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) diameter; the bark ranges from orangish to purplish brown. The crown is narrow conic; the main branches are level to upswept, with the side branches often drooping. The shoots are dimorphic, with growth divided into long shoots (typically 10 to 50 centimeters (4 to 20 in) long) and bearing several buds , and short shoots only 1 to 2 millimeters ( 1 ⁄ 32 to 3 ⁄ 32  in) long with only

287-414: Is almost exclusive guest of the gen. Larix . Other diseases are given by mushrooms, fungal rusts, bacteria and insects. Larch wood is valued for its tough, waterproof and durable qualities. Top quality knot -free timber is in great demand for building yachts and other small boats , for exterior cladding of buildings, and interior paneling. The timber is somewhat resistant to rot when in contact with

328-734: Is also the King in Right of British Columbia. As a Commonwealth realm, the Canadian monarch is shared with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations . Within Canada, the monarch exercises power individually on behalf of the federal government and the ten provinces. The powers of the Crown are vested in the monarch and are exercised by the lieutenant governor. The advice of

369-456: Is another probable hybrid still unresolved. Larches are associated with a number of mycorrhizal fungal species, including some species which primarily or only associate with larch. One of the most prominent of these species is the larch bolete Suillus grevillei . Larch is used as a food plant by the larvae of a number of Lepidoptera species. Larches are prone to the fungal canker disease Lachnellula ssp. (larch canker); this

410-636: Is frequently during times when other conifer cones that are a more preferred diet are in short supply. Woodpeckers utilize the heart rot of older specimens to make openings, which are used by various small animals. In 2010, the Government of British Columbia implemented an assisted migration program of western larch to a new habitat in northern British Columbia, about 1000 kilometers north of its current range. Assisted migration of Canadian forests had been proposed as an adaptation measure in response to climate change . Indeed, as average temperatures rise,

451-467: Is highly prized as firewood in the Pacific Northwest where it is often called "tamarack," although it is a different species than the tamarack larch . The wood burns with a sweet fragrance and a distinctive popping noise. Western larch is used for the production of Venice turpentine . Larch About 10–11; see text Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus Larix , of

SECTION 10

#1732775896756

492-488: Is particularly a problem on sites prone to late spring frosts, which cause minor injuries to the tree allowing entry to the fungal spores. In Canada , this disease was first detected in 1980 and is particularly harmful to an indigenous species larch, the tamarack , killing both young and mature trees. Larches are also vulnerable to Phytophthora ramorum . In late 2009 the disease was first found in Japanese larch trees in

533-466: Is very cold tolerant, able to survive winter temperatures down to about −50 °C (−58 °F). It only grows on well-drained soils, unable to thrive on waterlogged ground. Western larch grows more quickly than many associated trees, as it needs to because larch is shade intolerant . With its thick bark, nonflammable foliage and protective cones, the species is very fire resistant . In the late 20th century, after wildfires had been suppressed for almost

574-653: The English counties of Devon , Cornwall and Somerset , and has since spread to the south-west of Scotland. In August 2010 the disease was found in Japanese larch trees in counties Waterford and Tipperary in Ireland and in 2013 in the Afan Forest Park in south Wales . Laricifomes officinalis is another mushroom found in Europe , North America and northern Asia that causes internal wood rot. It

615-522: The King-in-Council . The day-to-day operation and activities of the Government of British Columbia are performed by the provincial departments and agencies, staffed by the non-partisan public service and directed by the elected government. The premier of British Columbia is the primary minister of the Crown . The premier acts as the head of government for the province, chairs and selects

656-526: The royal prerogative and granting royal assent . The executive power is vested in the Crown and exercised in-Council , meaning on the advice of the Executive Council; conventionally, this is the Cabinet, which is chaired by the premier and comprises ministers of the Crown . The term Government of British Columbia , or more formally His Majesty's Government , refers to the activities of

697-545: The autumn. The English name larch ultimately derives from the Latin "larigna", named after the ancient settlement of Larignum. The story of its naming was preserved by Vitruvius : It is worth while to know how this wood was discovered. The divine Caesar, being with his army in the neighbourhood of the Alps, and having ordered the towns to furnish supplies, the inhabitants of a fortified stronghold there, called Larignum, trusting in

738-428: The bald cypresses in the genus Taxodium . The male flowers (small cones) are orange-yellowish and fall after pollination. The female flowers (or cones ) of larches are erect, small, 1–9 cm ( 1 ⁄ 2 – 3 + 1 ⁄ 2  in) long, green or purple, brown in ripening and lignify (called now strobilus ) 5–8 months after pollination; in about half the species the bract scales are long and visible, and in

779-746: The drainage of the Columbia River , from the east of the Cascade Range to the west of the Continental Divide . It covers the regions from around Kamloops , British Columbia , to Weiser, Idaho , and Central Oregon . It appears on ranges including the Blue Mountains and others in southeast BC and northwest Montana , usually on moist slopes up to 1,800 m (5,900 ft) above sea level. It can grow from elevations between 500 and 2,400 m (1,600 and 7,900 ft) and

820-546: The election of enough members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) of a single political party in an election to provide a majority of seats, forming a governing party or coalition . The sovereign is King  Charles III , Canada's head of state , who is represented provincially in British Columbia by the lieutenant governor , Janet Austin since 2018. King  Charles III , as sovereign,

861-445: The family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae ). Growing from 20 to 45 metres (65 to 150 feet) tall, they are native to the cooler regions of the northern hemisphere, where they are found in lowland forests in the high latitudes, and high in mountains further south. Larches are among the dominant plants in the boreal forests of Siberia and Canada . Although they are conifers , larches are deciduous trees that lose their needles in

SECTION 20

#1732775896756

902-466: The genus, with a primary division into North American and Eurasian species, and a secondary division of the Eurasian into northern short-bracted species and southern long-bracted species; there is some dispute over the position of Larix sibirica , a short-bracted species which is placed in the short-bracted group by some of the studies and the long-bracted group by others. The genus Larix belongs to

943-529: The ground, and historically was used as posts and in fencing. However, European Standard EN 350-2 lists larch as slightly to moderately durable; this would make it unsuitable for ground contact use without preservative in temperate climates, and would give it a limited life as external cladding without coatings. The hybrid Dunkeld larch is widely grown as a timber crop in Northern Europe , valued for its fast growth and disease resistance. Larch on oak

984-680: The kind under discussion, of which there are very great numbers in that vicinity. And so, as that stronghold was called Larignum, the wood was called larch. The tallest species, Larix occidentalis , can reach 50 to 60 m (165 to 195 ft). The larch's tree crown is sparse and the branches are brought horizontal to the stem, even if some species have them characteristically pendulous . Larch shoots are dimorphic, with leaves borne singly on long shoots typically 10 to 50 cm (4 to 20 in) long and bearing several buds , and in dense clusters of 20–50 needles on short shoots only 1–2 mm ( 1 ⁄ 32 – 3 ⁄ 32  in) long with only

1025-535: The membership of the Cabinet , and advises the Crown on the exercise of executive power and much of the royal prerogative . As premiers hold office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the elected Legislative Assembly , they typically sit as a MLA and lead the largest party or a coalition in the Assembly. Once sworn in, the premier holds office until either they resign or they are removed by

1066-403: The natural strength of their defences, refused to obey his command. So the general ordered his forces to the assault. In front of the gate of this stronghold there was a tower, made of beams of this wood laid in alternating directions at right angles to each other, like a funeral pyre, and built high, so that they could drive off an attacking party by throwing stakes and stones from the top. When it

1107-439: The optimal climate conditions for trees species are also moving North. Research had shown that western larch trees have no trouble growing in northern BC, an area whose climatic conditions are predicted to match the western larch's historical range by 2030. British Columbia started seeding western larch trees in northern BC in the early 2010s. This was the first assisted migration program for a North American tree. The western larch

1148-525: The others, short and hidden between the seed scales. Those native to northern regions have small cones ( 1–3 cm or 1 ⁄ 2 –1 in) with short bracts, with more southerly species tending to have longer cones ( 3–9 cm or 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 – 3 + 1 ⁄ 2  in), often with exserted bracts, with the longest cones and bracts produced by the southernmost species, in the Himalayas. The seeds are winged. The larches are streamlined trees,

1189-441: The past, the cone bract length was often used to divide the larches into two sections (sect. Larix with short bracts, and sect. Multiserialis with long bracts), but genetic evidence does not support this division, pointing instead to a genetic divide between Old World and New World species, with the cone and bract size being merely adaptations to climatic conditions. More recent genetic studies have proposed three groups within

1230-468: The premier and Executive Council is typically binding; the Constitution Act, 1867 requires executive power to be exercised only "by and with the advice of the Executive Council". The lieutenant governor is appointed by the governor general , on the advice of the prime minister of Canada . Thus, it is typically the lieutenant governor whom the premier and ministers advise, exercising much of

1271-548: The program through the province's existing legal and regulatory framework. Foresters in the United States have also initiated "experimental treatments" of larch-dominated national forests in Montana. However, if some "aggressively warming climate scenarios" actually unfold, foresters will need to let go of any expectations of helping this species maintain a presence south of the Canadian border. Indigenous peoples applied

Western larch - Misplaced Pages Continue

1312-492: The resinous gum to injuries and chewed it to treat sore throat. Some also ate the cambium and sap; the Kutenai and Salish peoples of Montana in particular collected the sap. A medicinal tea was made from the bark or foliage. Some Plateau Indian tribes drank an infusion from the young shoots to treat tuberculosis and laryngitis . The sweetish galactan of the sap can be made into baking powder and medicine. An extract of

1353-591: The root system is broad and deep and the bark is finely cracked and wrinkled in irregular plaques. The wood is bicolor, with salmon pink heartwood and yellowish white sapwood. The chromosome number is 2n = 24, similar to that of most of the other trees of the family Pinaceae . The genus Larix is present in all the temperate-cold zones of the northern hemisphere , from North America to northern Siberia passing through Europe , mountainous China and Japan . The larches are important forest trees of Russia , Central Europe , United States and Canada . They require

1394-500: The scales opening flat or reflexed to release the seeds when mature, four to six months after pollination. The old cones commonly remain on the tree for many years, turning dull gray-black. Individual specimens can live centuries, even up to a millennium. The largest known specimen is about 1,000 years old, 50 m (160 ft) tall and over 2 m (7 ft) in diameter with a 10 m (34 ft) crown, located at Seeley Lake, Montana . Western larch grows almost exclusively in

1435-667: The subfamily Laricoideae , which also includes the genera Pseudotsuga and Cathaya . There are ten accepted species of larch and one accepted hybrid, subdivided on the basis of the most recent phylogenetic investigations: Most if not all of the species can be hybridised in cultivation. Selected hybrids include: The hybrid Larix × marschlinsii , the Dunkeld larch, is an artificial hybrid L. decidua × L. sibirica that arose more or less simultaneously in Switzerland and Scotland. Larix × stenophylla Sukaczev

1476-437: The tree is sold as a health supplement. The water-soluble arabinogalactan is used in food, medicine, ink, and paint. The wood is tough and durable, but also flexible in thin strips, and is particularly valued for yacht building; wood used for this must be free of knots, and can only be obtained from old trees that were pruned when young to remove side branches. Small larch poles are widely used for rustic fencing. The wood

1517-402: The whole pile had fallen. But when the fire had burned itself out and subsided, and the tower appeared to view entirely uninjured, Caesar in amazement gave orders that they should be surrounded with a palisade, built beyond the range of missiles. So the townspeople were frightened into surrendering, and were then asked where that wood came from which was not harmed by fire. They pointed to trees of

1558-651: Was established when the province joined Confederation in 1871. British Columbia is a secondary jurisdiction of Canada, a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy in the Westminster tradition ; a premier — David Eby of the New Democratic Party since 2022—is the head of government and is invited by the Crown to form a government after securing the confidence of the Legislative Assembly , typically determined through

1599-412: Was observed that they had no other missiles than stakes, and that these could not be hurled very far from the wall on account of the weight, orders were given to approach and to throw bundles of brushwood and lighted torches at this outwork. These the soldiers soon got together. The flames soon kindled the brushwood which lay about that wooden structure and, rising towards heaven, made everybody think that

1640-429: Was selected for because of its significant commercial importance and the fear that climate change and parasites such as the mountain pine beetle would considerably diminish its supply. To pre-empt opposition from biologists and other groups, the government avoided making public consultation on the program. Instead, they framed the policy as an introduction of a non-exotic species to a similar environment, and implemented

1681-443: Was the traditional construction method for Scottish fishing boats in the 19th century. Larch has also been used in herbal medicine ; see Bach flower remedies and Arabinogalactan for details. Often, in Eurasian shamanism , the " world tree " is depicted as specifically a larch tree. Planted on borders with birch , both tree species were used in pagan cremations. Government of British Columbia The current construct

Western larch - Misplaced Pages Continue

#755244