De I. VNER VEW D Forest Trees of the Pacific Slope

FOREST TREES OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE.
thread-like stem, and are about one-fourth to seven-eighths of an inch long.
The leaf-bearing branchlets, especially those of the season's growth, are more
or less minutely hairy. The small, few-scaled cones nod from the tips of
brauchlets, matnuing from the middle to the end of August. They open rapidly
afterwards and usually shed their small, winged seeds during September.
By spring most of the cones have fallen from the trees. The cones are from
about three-fourths inch to sometimes nearly 1 s Inches long, and when open are
reddish ecay-brown (fig. 34). Cone-scales, peculiar in being sharply narrowed
from about their middle, are faintly downy on their outer surfaces. The seeds
(fig. 34, a) are light brown. Their comparatively large wings enable the wind to
carry them to a considerable distance from the parent tree. Seed-leaves 5,
pointed, and about one-fourth inch long. By the third year seedlings produce
foliage like that of the adult tree. In the dense, moist forests in which this
tree grows best its numerous seedlhigs grown on moss-covered stumps and
logs-often high in the air, and even in the moss on living trunks-are a
familiar sight. Not infrequently seedlings extend their roots through or over
their host stumps and decaying logs into the soil and become firmly rooted;
many others, unable to do this, die. The ability of this tree to grow throughout
its life in the densest shade explains the often almost pure stands which have
followed removal of the older forest in which hemlock was widely but only
sparingly represented. The hemlocks had covered the shaded ground with
seedlings which later excluded other species trying to come in after the old trees
were removed.
Wood, fine-grained, pale yellowish brown, with the slightest tinge of red. It
is rather light, soft (works like soft pine), and very unlike the slivery wood of
its eastern relative, which it otherwise resembles. The unfounded prejudice
against western hemlock wood is exceedingly unfortunate, for in its best grades
it is useful for nmany of the better commercial purposes, while its bark yields
a much higher percentage of tannin than does that of the eastern hemlock
(Tseiga canadensis), so extensively used for tanning.
LONGEVITY.-Very long-lived, growing slowly in height and diameter. Trees
16 or 17 inches in diameter are 195 or 200 years old. Large trees are from 300
to 500 years old, and it is believed that very much older trees will be noted.
RANGE.
Pacific coast region from Alaska southward to northern California; inland to southern
British Columbia, northern Idaho, and Montana, and into the Cascades in Oregon and
Washington.
ALAsKA.-Islands and seaward slope of coast ranges westward to Cape Puget on west
side of Prince William Sound; generally from sea level to timber line (3,000 feet on
southeastern coast to 1.600 feet on Prince William Sound). Lynn Canal region, from
elevations of 130 to 2,600 feet. South slope of St. Elias Range to 1,625 and 2,700 feet;
Yakutat Bay, up to 2,200 feet on Mount Tebenkof (east end of bay), gradually dropping
to sea level at Disenchantment Bay (head of Yakutat Bay). Coast from Dry Bay
to Prince William Sound, up to 400 feet, and to 1,600 feet; on coastal plain, hillsides
facing open water and valleys of streams, sometimes extending inland 3 to 5 miles,
as at head of Cordova, Gravina, ard Fidalgo bays.
BRITISH COLUIMBIA.-Islands, Coast Range, and inland up river valleys to limit of
abundant rainfall, from sea level to 2,000 or 3,000 feet elevation. Reappears eastward
in Gold and Selkirk mountains, reaching 3,500 to 5,000 feet. Up Dean Inlet and Salmon
River to point 18 miles from sea and to elevation of 600 feet; appears still farther inland,
in Coast Range, sparingly on lower part of Iltasyouco River (tributary Salmon
River). Inland 53 miles on Homathco River (flows into Bute Inlet) to an elevation of
2,320 feet. In lower Fraser River Valley eastern limits are Uztlihoos River (northeastern
branch of Anderson River), at point 6 to 10 miles east of Fraser River, and summit
between Coquihalla River (eastern tributary Fraser Rivern and Coldwater River.
Abundant on southwest coast of Vancouver Island, reaching elevation of 975 feet about
Port Renfrew. Extends into Gold Range (from eastern Washington) and into Selkirk
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