IIT Fall Newsletter: The Whatchamacallit Tree

A Reprint of a 2022 IIT Trust Topic written by Steve Miller

While working on a couple of Hackmatack walking sticks recently, the tree’s unique dark salmon heartwood and light blonde sapwood coloration, especially notable when finish oil is applied to the smoothed surface, elevated my appreciation of this unusual species. Sharing this admiration with IIT staff, Chloe remarked on Tamarack’s soft, lacey green needles in spring and their vibrant yellow in fall before they fall to the ground, so we all agreed to this Trust Topics subject.

Hackmatack? Tamarack? The tree we are talking about is called by many names -- Eastern Larch or Larix laricina perhaps most officially, “akemantak” by Maine’s First Peoples (which apparently meant “wood used for snowshoes”), “muckigwatig” by Ojibwa (meaning “swamp tree”), black larch, red larch -- Whitney Emerton even called the tree “Juniper,” as do others in northern parts of Maine, though that name is discouraged because other tree species use that name.

Hackmatack is Maine’s only native conifer that sheds all its needles (leaves) every fall, among the select group of earth’s very few deciduous coniferous tree species. But its uncommon and, I would claim, fascinating and valuable traits make Tamarack worth knowing.

Many years ago, I received several surprisingly large diameter (around 3 inches) Hackmatack limbs for firewood. They produced an amazing amount of heat! But Eastern Larch, able to grow in a wide range of soil conditions, including wet, clay soils, are not tolerant of shade and, perhaps as a consequence, efficiently self-prune lower branches.

The wood and lumber from Hackmatack trees are strong, resilient, relatively water resistant and therefore rot resistant, and highly durable. Kasper Murphy, when, in the 1970’s, I spoke with him about building boats, told me that Tamarack knees – sections of tree stems including the root bend at the base – make the best framing for wooden vessels. Historically, the tree has also been used for fence posts, corduroy roads, even water distribution systems. It is known for its toughness, but it tends not to acquire great girth or height and therefore is not considered of high commercial value. It can live for up to 200 years, though, and “pioneers” in forest openings created by fire, beaver, or other means.

I had not known about Hackmatack, but learned while researching this Trust Topics piece, that parts of the tree have edible and medicinal qualities. Native Americans apparently used the inner bark as a poultice to treat cuts, infected wounds, frostbite and boils and also used the outer bark and roots as a treatment for arthritis, cold and general aches and pains.

Eastern Larch trees contain high concentrations of Arabinogalactan, a starch-like chemical that can be found in stores as a probiotic and immune booster. In foods, Larch arabinogalactan acts as a stabilizer, binder, and sweetener.

Wildlife benefit as much or perhaps more from this species than humans. Young Hackmatack tips provide food for the larvae of several butterfly species. The white-throated sparrow, song sparrow, veery, common yellowthroat, and Nashville warbler reportedly frequent its branches.

This talented tree does not demand much from soil conditions and may appear dead in winter, as it stands without needles in our moist island forests. But come Spring, the highly visible, soft, light green buds will appear once again. I have occasionally pruned a Tamarack tree next to my driveway for more than 30 years. I can understand why people sometimes plant this species as an ornamental in native landscaping.

In any case, admiration for and awareness of Hackmatack are yet two more ways we can connect with the island natural community of which we are a part.