Photo: Thayne Tuason, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Larix occidentalis
Western larch
- Also called Western larch, Western tamarack, Hackmatack
Deciduous conifer, 30-55 m, the largest larch
What it is
Western larch is a tall conifer that, unusually, drops all its needles each autumn. The soft needles grow in tufts of 15 to 30 and turn gold in October before they fall. Its small upright cones have pointed bracts sticking out between the scales. Old trees have very thick, reddish bark, up to 15 cm or more at the base. It grows wild in the inland Northwest: northeastern Oregon, eastern Washington, northern Idaho, western Montana and southern British Columbia.
What it's used for
- Its heavy, strong wood is used for building timber, flooring, poles and fuel.
- Its dead standing trunks are favourite nesting trees for woodpeckers, and many birds then reuse the holes.
- Its thick bark makes it one of the most fire-resistant trees in the West.
Where we plant it
Rebuilding Oregon's Forests
Fremont-Winema National Forest, Oregon, United States
Plant trees in this projectOur partners plant the mix of native species that suits each site and season, so a gift plants trees in the project rather than this one species. Larix occidentalis is one of the species planted there.
More trees planted in Rebuilding Oregon's Forests
Douglas-firPseudotsuga menziesii
Ponderosa pinePinus ponderosa
Lodgepole pinePinus contorta
White firAbies concolor
About Rebuilding Oregon's Forests
