The Great Big Eastern Hemlock Thread

I was sitting at a local meeting where a discussion on native trees/shrubs to use for natural barriers was ongoing. The town recommends an assortment of species to be utilized for natural screening and someone quipped about eastern hemlock not being available in nurseries even though they appeared on the recommendation list. I wasn't sure why so I decided to do some digging. I decided to start a thread on my discoveries on the tree known as the eastern hemlock.

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Eastern Hemlock

Name - Eastern Hemlock/Canadian Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
USDA Zone - 3-8
Sunlight Preferences: Semi-Shade to dappled
Soil Preferences: Moist well draining soil (Loam/Sand common)
Height: 40-70 Feet
Width: 25-35 Feet
Lifespan: < 800 Years

Eastern hemlocks root systems adapt to the soil moisture level where they exist. If the water table is high, the roots will be shallow. If the water table is low, the roots have been observed to extend deeper into the soil. Poor draining moist soils can lead to saplings/seeds damping off and succumbing to mold.

Where I live, there is an emphasis on checking existing hemlocks for the presence of an insect known as the hemlock wooly adelgid (HWA). These insects slowly defoliate the trees leading to progressive weakness of the tree and ultimately death. While there are an assortment of other insects that can damage the tree, this insect is of particular worry. What happens to keep the adelgid at bay is the cold of winter so far where I live.

Eastern hemlock provides several different sources of food for an assortment of animals. The seeds are consumed by squirrels, rabbits, and all sorts of rodents. Deer and porcupines will consume bark and twigs during the winter. Quite a few bird species find value in the tree for both food and a nesting location. The tree is reported to provide habitat for over 120 different species all together.

Streams sheltered by hemlocks are more likely to contain brook trout and are therefore popular areas for trout fishing. Source

Eastern Hemlock Distribution Map

Source

Do you have this tree near you? What uses has it provided?

I'm still learning about it myself.

A friend of mine spreads old matsutake mushrooms underneath the hemlocks and says that after a long while they are likely to fruit. I also like their needles in tea and the young ones to nibble in spring. They are also home to hemlock reishi when they die, an important medicinal mushroom.

The Hemlock - Emily Dickinson

I think the hemlock likes to stand
Upon a marge of snow;
It suits his own austerity,
And satisfies an awe
That men must slake in wilderness,
Or in the desert cloy,
An instinct for the hoar, the bald,
Lapland’s necessity.
The hemlock’s nature thrives on cold;
The gnash of northern winds
Is sweetest nutriment to him,
His best Norwegian wines.
To satin races he is nought;
But children on the Don
Beneath his tabernacles play,
And Dnieper wrestlers run.

Looking a bit more at the Eastern Hemlock, I wanted to look towards uses.

Uses

Lumber used historically for general construction or pulp

Bark contains tannins (up to 12%) used historically for tanning

Vitamin C rich tea made from needles and tips

Useful natural screening plant

Cambium layer can be utilized in bread/soup

Host plant for Reishi mushroom.

Inner bark can be turned into a pink dye

Lots of work being done on using biological control for the HWA…

https://entomologytoday.org/2019/10/07/biological-control-hemlock-woolly-adelgid/