WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST?
Dr. Mike Kudish (Author of “The Catskill Forest: A History”) had me out looking for 2 extremely rare tree species over the weekend in a large swamp in Ulster County for his upcoming Kaatskill Life article. More common up north in the Adirondacks, black spruce and tamarack (American larch) are extremely rare in the Catskills. Black spruce is difficult to decipher from red spruce; if you’re near a large swamp, then it might be a black spruce. Larch is that evergreen that is weird & drops its needles. Almost all the larch you see commonly are planted larch.
Black Spruce
Tamarack
May the forest be with you,
Ryan Trapani
Director of Forest Services
Catskill Forest Association