May 30, 2026 | Fox State Forest, Hillsborough, NH
There is a wetland edge at Fox State Forest where tamarack grows. I photographed this tree in late May, when the new needle clusters had fully emerged. What I love about this tree species is how soft the needles are rather than the sharp and waxy needles of most conifers. They grow in clusters of 10–20 from woody pegs called spur shoots along the branch, a growth pattern that gives the tree its distinctive appearance (Johnston, 1990).
Tamarack (Larix laricina) is the only native deciduous conifer in New England. Every fall, the needles turn gold and drop in the same way as any broadleaf tree. The strategy may make ecological sense in context. Tamarack is strongly associated with cold, poorly drained wetland soils, such as bogs and swamp edges, where nutrients are limited and soils may be acidic and waterlogged (Johnston, 1990). One hypothesis is that deciduousness in these conditions reduces the cost of maintaining foliage through a long winter when cold temperatures and low light sharply limit photosynthetic opportunity (Givnish, 2002). What is clear is that the tree is extraordinarily cold-hardy and its range extends farther north than almost any other tree in North America, into the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska (Johnston, 1990).
In New England, tamarack is most common in northern Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, with scattered populations farther south where suitable wetland habitat remains (Johnston, 1990). Fox State Forest in Hillsborough, NH sits near the southern edge of its comfortable range.
The cone in this photograph is from the previous season and is still attached to the branch, surrounded now by fresh spring growth. Tamarack produces the smallest cones of any tree in the larch family, typically under an inch (Johnston, 1990). They can be easy to miss once the needles fill in around them
This is the kind of observation that comes from slowing down in the landscape rather than just moving through it. In summer, Tamarack can look like any other conifer from a distance, but in late fall and early spring, when the needles are gone or just returning, the tree becomes something else entirely.
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References
Johnston, W. F. (1990). Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch tamarack. In R. M. Burns & B. H. Honkala (Eds.), Silvics of North America: Vol. 1, Conifers (Agriculture Handbook 654, pp. 141–151).
USDA Forest Service. https://research.fs.usda.gov/silvics/tamarackGivnish, T. J. (2002). Adaptive significance of evergreen vs. deciduous leaves: Solving the triple paradox. Silva Fennica, 36(3), 703–743. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.535