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Aspen
Poplar
(Populus tremuloides)
Up to 30 m in height,
bark at first smooth, greenish-white, becoming rough and dark grey with
age, terminal bud is sharp and pointed, all buds dark brown.
Leaves
Alternate, simple, broadly oval, sharp-pointed, fine-rounded teeth,
4.0 - 7.5 cm long, borne on long, slender stalks, dark green above,
pale below; leaf-stems flattened causing fluttering in wind.
Flowers
Inconspicuous, small in dense catkins, pistillate and staminate flowers
on different trees, formed before leaves develop in spring.
Fruit
A greenish capsule, containing many small hairy seeds.
Distribution
Widespread throughout Alberta, it is especially important in the northern-central
part of the province where it is the dominant species in the "Boreal
Mixedwood" forest, being eventually succeeded by white spruce.
Wood and Uses
Whitish to cream coloured wood which is short fibred, and relatively
low in strength. It is used mainly for pulp products such as books,
newsprint, and fine printing paper. Aspen is especially good for panel
products such as oriented strandboard and waferboard. Lumber is light
in weight and is used for furniture, boxes and crates, core stock in
plywood, and wall panels. |
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Balsam
Poplar
(Populus balsamifera)
Preferring wetter
areas, these trees can grow up to 25 m high with stout spreading branches;
bark is greenish grey at the top becoming more grey and deeply furrowed
at the base; winter buds are large and curved with a sticky balsam-smelling
gum.
Leaves
Alternate, simple, oval or heart-shaped, sharp-pointed, rounded teeth,
7.5 - 15.0 cm long, shiny dark green above and pale green beneath.
Flowers
Inconspicuous, small in dense catkins, pistillate and staminate flowers
on different trees. Developed before the leaves expand in the spring.
Fruit
A dry, greenish-brown capsule, opening when mature. The seeds are very
small, numerous and hairy.
Distribution
Common in forestland, abandoned farmland, burned-over areas, and river
banks throughout Alberta
Wood and Uses
Wood is light, soft, low in strength, greyish white to light greyish
brown in colour. Wood is used for pulp. Balsam poplar is also used in
windbreak plantings. |
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White
Birch
(Betula papyrifera)
6 to 20 m in height,
with whitish or silvery grey bark in thin sheets; winter buds chestnut
brown, bud scales slightly downy, no distinct terminal bud.
Leaves
Alternate, simple, in slender stalks, oval and tapering to a point,
irregularly toothed, 2.5 - 19 cm long, dark green above, paler and slightly
hairy beneath.
Flowers
Inconspicuous, small, in staminate and pistillate catkins.
Fruit
A small, broadly-winged nutlet.
Distribution
This species and several varieties are widespread and common along river
banks and moist wooded areas through the central and northern part of
the province.
Wood and Uses
Wood is moderately heavy, hard, strong, straight-grained and pale brown
in colour. It is used for furniture, cabinets, woodenware and veneer.
Birch logs also make excellent fire wood. |
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Tamarack
Larch
(Larix laricina)
Grows slowly and
may be only 15 - 18 m in height. On moist, well drained soils however,
it can grow to heights of 25 m. The bark is rough and dark grey in colour
and there are numerous small rounded reddish winter buds.
Leaves
Needle-like, 12 - 20 in feather-like clusters, soft and slender, 2 -
4 cm long, light green turning bright yellow in the autumn when they
fall from the tree. In fact, larches are the only needle leaved tree
to shed needles in the fall.
Cones
Pollen cones (male) quite small, yellow; seed cones (female) 1 - 2.5
cm . long, reddish when young, becoming brown and almost spherical when
mature; seeds small and winged.
Distribution
Occurs throughout central and northern Alberta, usually in muskeg and
boggy areas. Rarely found in pure stands, it typically occurs in mixture
with black spruce. On better sites it can form a component of virtually
any type of stand.
Wood and Uses
Wood is moderately hard and heavy, somewhat oily, decay resistant and
yellowish brown to reddish brown in colour. It is used for lumber for
rough construction, fence posts, poles, railway ties and pulpwood. |
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Alpine
Larch
(Larix lyallii)
A small slow-growing
tree from 9 to 12 m high; crown has a ragged appearance with irregularly
spaced branches; leaves mostly confined to the outer branches; bark
smooth, thin, greyish on young trees becoming reddish and scaly on older
trees; buds often hidden by long white hair.
Leaves
Needle-like, 4 sided, soft and flexible, 2.5 - 4.0 cm long, bluish green,
clusters of 30 - 40 on dwarf twigs, turning yellow in the autumn before
falling from the tree.
Cones
Pollen cones (male) small, yellow; seed cones (female) nearly stalkless,
4 - 5 cm long, dark brown at maturity; cone scales are covered with
whitish hairs and have 3-toothed bracts; seeds are small and winged.
Distribution
A timberline species on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains in southeastern
Alberta.
Wood and Uses
Wood is heavy, hard and reddish brown in colour. Although it is suitable
for both lumber and pulp, because of remote and inaccessible locations
where it is generally found, alpine larch is of very little commercial
importance, However, it is of importance in controlling run-off and
erosion in high mountains. |
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Lodgepole
Pine
(Pinus contorta var. latifolia)
A tall, slender
pine with little taper and a straight trunk; can grow to 30 m or more
in height. It has a thin bark, which is yellowish-brown and somewhat
scaly.
Leaves
Needle-like, in bundles of two, produced in dense clusters towards the
ends of the branches, 2.5 - 7.5 cm long, yellowish-green.
Cones
Pollen cones (male) borne in small terminal clusters; seed cones (female)
conical-shaped woody and closed/sealed (serotinous), usually straight,
pointed backwards towards the base of the branches, yellowish-brown
often borne in clusters, 2.5 - 5.0 cm long, scales thickened and with
a sharp spine at the tip of each scale; seeds winged.
Distribution
The most common and abundant tree in the Rocky Mountains and foothill
regions. Occurring on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains where
it frequently forms dense even-aged stands as the result of fire. In
areas adjacent to jack pine, the two species integrate.
Wood and Uses
Wood is moderately light, soft to moderately hard and white to yellowish
brown in colour. It is used for lumber and plywood as well as pulp.
Lumber is used mainly in general construction; other uses include furniture,
siding, flooring and panels. After pressure treatment with preservatives,
lodgepole pine makes excellent railway ties, utility poles and mine
timbers. |
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Jack
Pine
(Pinus banksiana)
Ranging in height
from a small scrubby tree up to about 25 m depending upon growing conditions;
bark thin, reddish grey on young trees becoming darker grey, rough and
scaly on old trunks.
Leaves
Needle-like, stiff, sharp-pointed, in bundles of two, frequently twisted,
2 - 4 cm long, yellowish-green.
Cones
Pollen cones (male) small in close clusters at the ends of young branches.
Seed cones (female) borne in pairs, closed and sealed (serotinous) usually
curved and pointing towards the end of the branches, smooth and exceedingly
hard, often remaining unopened on the tree for several years, yellowish-grey
when mature, 2.5 - 5.0 cm long, scales thickened, without prickles;
seeds winged.
Distribution
Common on sand hills and thin soil in central and northeastern Alberta.
It can be distinguished from lodgepole pine mainly by difference in
form and shape of the needles and cone characteristics.
Wood and Uses
Wood is moderately heavy, soft and nearly white in colour. It is mainly
used for pulp. Lumber is generally knotty and considerably less desirable
than lodgepole pine, used primarily for boxes, crates and rough construction. |
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Limber
Pine
(Pinus flexilis)
A small deformed,
scrubby mountain tree, with short twisted limbs, usually 5 - 10 m in
height. Bark is silvery-grey on young trees becoming very rough and
almost black at maturity.
Leaves
Needle-like, thick, stiff, sharp-pointed, slightly curved, in bundles
of 5, tightly clustered at the ends of twigs, 2.5 - 7.5 cm long, dark
green.
Cones
Pollen cones (male) small produced in terminal clusters; seed cones
large, cylindrical 7.5 - 20.0 cm long, yellowish-brown, with scales
greatly thickened at the tip; seeds nut-like, practically wingless.
Distribution
A characteristic alpine tree on high mountain slopes where it is usually
much stunted and frequently deformed by strong winds.
Wood and Uses
Wood is light, close-grained, moderately soft and lemon-yellowish in
colour. It has no commercial importance, although it is used locally
as fuel wood. |
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Whitebark
Pine
(Pinus albicaulis)
May reach 25 m on
sheltered sites, but on windswept slopes, often flattened and shrubby,
seldom exceeding 10 m. The trunk is massive and distorted with either
smooth or scaly whitish bark; branches usually deformed, bunched in
the crown or flat, close to the ground.
Leaves
Needle-like in bundles of 5, produced in dense clusters towards the
ends of the branches, stiff and somewhat curved, 4.0 - 7.5 cm long,
dark yellow-green.
Cones
Pollen cones (male) borne in small terminal clusters; seed cones (female)
stout, tough, oval-shaped-pointed, woody, resinous permanently closed.
Distribution
A mountain species found scattered along the timber line of the Rocky
Mountains.
Wood and Uses
Wood is light, close-grained, moderately soft and pale brownish in colour.
It is of little commercial importance, although wood can be used for
lumber and mine timber when harvested from commercial sites. |
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Subalpine
Fir
(Abies lasiocarpa)
Large tree, up to
25 m high; narrow crown and dense with drooping branches; bark smooth,
ash-grey with large, horizontal resin blisters on young trees, becoming
greyish-brown and scaly in older trees.
Leaves
Needle-like, 2.5 - 4.0 cm long, curved upwards on the branch, greyish-green
to bluish-green, rounded or notched at the tip.
Cones
Pollen cones (male) small, bluish; seed cones (female) 6 - 10 cm long,
dark purple, born at the top of the tree; cone scales fan shaped, slightly
longer than broad with short spoon-shaped bracts.
Distribution
High altitudes, from west-central to southwestern Alberta. Often mixed
with Engelmann spruce, lodgepole pine and alpine larch.
Wood and Uses
Wood is light, soft, relatively low in strength and white in colour.
It is used mainly for lumber for building construction and pulp; also
suitable for making boxes and crates. |
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Balsam
Fir
(Abies balsamea)
Usually 15 - 21
m in height. The crown is symmetrical with a narrow pyramidal shape
and branches extending nearly to the ground. The bark is smooth, pale-grey
with large resin blisters on young trees becoming roughened and reddish-brown
on mature trees.
Leaves
Needle-like, distinctly flattened, rounded at the tip, arranged in two
ranks, 2 - 3 cm long, dark green above, whitish beneath.
Cones
Pollen cones (male) small, yellowish-red; seed cones (female) erect,
dark purple, 5 - 10 cm long, scales slightly elongated with short pointed
bracts, becoming soft when mature.
Distribution
Central and northern Alberta, where it sometimes forms a scattered understorey
in old growth stands.
Wood and Uses
Wood is light, soft, relatively low in strength, somewhat brittle, and
white in colour. It is suitable for pulp and for making boxes and crates.
Bark on young trees contains blisters filled with resin (Canada balsam)
which can be used in cementing lenses and mounting specimens for observation
with a microscope. Balsam fir also makes a good Christmas tree. |
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Rocky
Mountain Douglas Fir
(Pseudotsuga menziesii)
A large tree up
to 25 m high with a massive trunk and somewhat drooping branches; bark
on young trees smooth and reddish brown becoming 10 - 15 cm thick and
deeply fissured on old trees.
Leaves
Needle-like, somewhat flattened, 2 - 3 cm long, tapering at the base
to a very short stalk, bright blue green above, pale beneath.
Cones
Pollen cones (male) bright red; seed cones (female) drooping, reddish
brown, 5 - 9 cm long, the 3-forked bracts projecting beyond the broad-rounded,
stiff scales; seeds broadly winged.
Distribution
Along the east slopes of the Rocky Mountains from Jasper Park to Waterton
and widespread in the Porcupine Hills.
Wood and Uses
Moderately heavy, hard and strong wood with reddish brown colour. Primarily
used for lumber for building construction. Other uses may include railway
ties, boxes and crates. Douglas-fir also makes good Christmas trees. |
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Black
Spruce
(Picea mariana)
With its characteristic
"club top", black spruce is a small, slow growing tree, 9
- 15 m high, with the lower branches often draped with "old-man's
beard" lichen. On well-drained mineral soils however, it can attain
heights of 25 - 30 m. Typically, bark is thin, scaly and greyish with
the inner bark, usually olive green.
Leaves
Needle-like, short, thick, 4 sided, 1 - 2 cm long, blue green.
Cones
Pollen cones (male) small, dark red; seed cones (female) semi-closed,
purplish-green, 1 - 4 cm long at maturity, brown to purplish green and
almost spherical, remaining on the tree for several years, scales stiff
and rounded; seeds small, winged.
Distribution
Occurs throughout central and northern Alberta in wetter areas, usually
in pure stands on muskeg, but also mixed with lodgepole pine or white
spruce in well-drained mineral soils bordering muskeg sites.
Wood and Uses
Black spruce is one of the most harvested trees in Canada, however,
it is generally not harvested in Alberta. The wood is moderately light,
soft, relatively strong, resilient, straight grained and nearly white
colour. Therefore, in some provinces, the wood is of great importance
to pulp and lumber industry. |
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Engelmann
Spruce
(Picea engelmannii)
Large tree, sometimes
reaching up to 35 m; crown is narrow, symmetrical, lower branches usually
drooping; bark thin, scaly, reddish-brown.
Leaves
Needle-like, 4 sided, stiff, 2.0 - 2.5 cm long; bluish-green.
Cones
Pollen cones (male) dark purple, 1.2 - 1.6 cm long; seed cones (female)
brown to yellowish-brown at maturity, 2.5 - 7.5 cm long; cone scales
broadest near the middle, irregularly toothed on outer edge with prominent
bracts; seeds small with wedge-shaped wings.
Distribution
Higher altitudes in high valleys and on slopes of Rocky Mountains in
southwestern Alberta. Often mixed with firs, larches and pines.
Wood and Uses
Wood is light, soft, resilient, straight-grained and white in colour.
It can be used for pulp and lumber. |
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White
Spruce
(Picea glauca)
A large tree reaching
up to 45 m; rough scaly bark, brownish to silvery grey.
Leaves
Needle-like, 4 sided, stiff, sharp-pointed, 2.5 - 3.0 cm long, bright
green.
Cones
Pollen cones (male) small, yellow; seed cones (female) usually at the
ends of young twigs, drooping and turning brown at maturity, 4 - 5 cm
long; scales thin, somewhat rounded with smooth margins; seeds with
thin wings.
Distribution
Widespread throughout south-central and northern Alberta, succeeding
Aspen poplar and pine in burned over areas.
Wood and Uses
Wood is light, soft, resilient, straight-grained and white in colour.
In Alberta, it is the main species used for lumber, plywood and pulp. |
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