|
- Northern Tree Habitats - Geophysical Institute
They examined the present range of lodgepole pine and decided that the tree could survive in interior Alaska if given a chance Lodgepole pine grows from southern California to the Yukon, in environments varying from rainy seacoasts to dry inland mountaintops, because genetically different strains have developed
- More on Why Tree Trunks Spiral - Geophysical Institute
Prevailing winds, in most of the tree-growing northern hemisphere, are from the west Combine these factors, and the westerly wind pushing on the thicker south side of the tree, year after year, causes an asymmetrical wind loading which slowly twists the tree around in the observed direction
- Trees as Earthquake Fault Indicators - Geophysical Institute
Then using tree ring dating methods, it may be possible to date earthquakes occurring before historical records were kept The ability to identify and date very large earthquakes occurring within the past thousand years is important in establishing earthquake risk and for predicting future earthquakes
- Mummified forest tells tale of a changing north
The mummy trees of northern Ellesmere Island include a trunk of a pine tree four feet long and six inches in diameter Each of the trees was at least 75 years old when it died The ancient forest holds samples of the last real trees in the area before it became too cold and dry to support large plants, Barker said
- Witches Broom - Geophysical Institute
Witches' broom on spruce trees is caused by a rust disease (a kind of fungus disease) The rust lives on the spruce tree throughout the year Each spring, small yellow pustules appear on the new needles of the broom A strong sweet odor, which is easily recognizable, usually accompanies the maturation of these pustules
- The majesty and mystery of Alaska yellow cedar
Probably because of chemical compounds within the tree like nootkatin that emit the pleasant odor and tint the wood yellow, Alaska yellow cedar endures like no other tree in the state In a 1997 paper on the endurance and possible usefulness of dead Alaska yellow-cedar trees, researchers Kent McDonald and Paul Hennon concluded it was good stuff:
- Burls - Geophysical Institute
Since the hardness of the wood is related to the rate of growth, the wood inside a rapidly growing burl is softer than the wood elsewhere in the tree Nevertheless, it is hard enough to be sanded and finished into an attractive surface An affected tree may grow a single burl or many; trees with multiple burls on both trunk and limbs have been
- The largest black spruce in Alaska | Geophysical Institute
The tree leans uphill, and its trunk is 45 inches around When I hugged it, I could barely clasp my hands together The largest black spruce in Alaska is a lucky tree, because its neighbors to the north are gone, removed in the mid-1990s during the installation of a power line
|
|
|