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WESTERN LARCH (Larix occidentalis) 
EASTERN LARCH or TAMARACK (Larix lariciana) 
Other names: larch, tamarack, hackmatack, juniper

FAIR TO VERY GOOD

The western larch occurs in eastern Washington and Oregon to Idaho and western Montana. The eastern larch or tamarack is native to the. Great Lakes region from Minnesota to Maine and in interior Alaska. Both species shed their needles in winter and appear dead during the dormant season. The western larch prefers moist soil but grows on dry slopes. Tamarack is usually found in swampy lands. Both trees are cut for lumber but are used extensively for fence posts and even for shake roofs. 

Western larch is usually found with the blaze only partially healed, but may be completely healed under ideal conditions, with no noticeable scar. It is a dependable bearing tree and is nearly always recovered, even if dead, fallen or stumped. The blaze may be decayed to some extent but with some scribing remaining. The wood decays quite slowly. The tamarack is more rot resistant than the western larch. Both trees grow in dense stands and many fallen trees may require examination. Because of the wet conditions that both trees prefer they are not lost to fire to any great extent, but fires will completely consume a dead tree. 

Select young trees 8" or larger. Alaska reports problems with carpenter ants. Do not use trees that have a hollow sound when struck, or if there are ants in or near the larch. Keep the blaze narrow, well drained and through the sapwood. The larches are more long lasting if blazed when the sap is flowing and more resistant to infection and attack by insects. Paint the wound thoroughly. Release if in a dense stand.