State Tree Of Pennsylvania

State Tree Of Pennsylvania

Eastern Hemlock Is The Official State Tree Of Pennsylvania. The eastern hemlock (Tsunga Canadensis) was adopted as the official Pennsylvania State Tree in 1931. The Eastern Hemlock was a sturdy ally to the state’s first settlers. Many a pioneer family felt better protected from the elements and their enemies inside the log cabins made from the patriarch of Pennsylvania’s forests and Eastern Hemlock trees. The National Tree Of Pennsylvania eastern hemlock (also called Canada hemlock or hemlock spruce) was pronounced the most picturesque and beautiful of the world’s evergreens by A. J. Downing, the father of landscape gardening in America.

The State Tree Of Pennsylvania eastern hemlock grows With heights of up to 150 feet (45.72 meters) and This triangular-shaped, medium-sized tree has short, less than 1 inch (2.54 centimeters). Pennsylvania State Tree Eastern hemlock thrives in cool, moist sites and it occupies steep north or east-facing slopes in southern counties. Farther north, it forms nearly pure stands in ravines, stream valleys, and wooded swamps. Tsuga canadensis grows with white pine.

American beech, maples, oaks and birches in a variety of forest types. witch-hazel and viburnums often form the shrub layer beneath the hemlock’s branches. Canada mayflower, partridgeberry, and ferns populate the forest floor nearby. Pennsylvania State Tree Eastern hemlock is a large, long-lived conifer and Trees more than 400 years old, reaching heights of 140 feet, greeted the settlers of colonial Pennsylvania. The current state champion National Tree Of Pennsylvania stands in Cook Forest State Park. Champion hemlock rises 125 feet with a diameter of 5 feet 1 inch and a spread of 70 feet. Over the centuries hemlock has been a major contributor to the state’s economy. 

 

Hemlock Tree Facts

  • The Hemlock Tree is also known by the following names: Spruce Pine, tanbark, and weeping spruce.
  • The only color change on the foliage signifies new or old growth with dark green being old-growth and light green to yellow being new growth.
  • The state tree Hemlock produces some of the smallest cones in the pine family.
  • Hemlock Tree takes 20-40 years for the Hemlock to produce seeds in the pinecones.
TOPICS >   | | Pennsylvania