The Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is a unique conifer that is found throughout eastern Canada from the southernmost points to mid-northern Ontario and the maritimes. It can sometimes be found growing with Eastern white pine together in groves, however pine prefers drier sandy soils and hemlock enjoys rich moist sites. The thick foliage of needles is very dense, making hemlock groves full of shade - cooler and darker than surrounding woodlands. Looking up into a hemlock tree, you can see the small, wide needles are much more efficient at blocking out the sunlight than the longer thinner ones of pines.
Like most conifers, the branches radiate outwards straight from the trunk with vertical intervals of roughly 1 year's growth. The long branches droop at the ends, showing their small unique cones. Of all the conifers in the Canadian woodland, this tree produces the tiniest cones. Only about 1-2 cm long, the cones are often broken apart by squirrels and chipmunks looking to snack on its tiny seeds.
As a coniferous tree, it has a slow growth rate and very little amount of resin produced compared to trees like pine, spruce and fir which often contain lots in their wood, inner bark and cones. The needles, when crushed up provide a refreshing piney smell that is pleasantly subtle and not as intense as other conifers. It can make an excellent pillow-case stuffing when camping for this very reason, giving you a fresh-smelling tent for days.
The bark is very similar to that of Eastern white pine, however the fissures are less deep and scaly. The form of the tree is almost always straight, with very few "forks" that often occur in white pine and others. The wood is soft, light and used in general softwood applications like making boxes and crates. Because Eastern hemlock grows very slowly, often trees that aren't very large or wide (>50cm in diameter) can be quite old. In Algonquin provincial park in Ontario, some hemlock trees have been dated to over 400 years old with only a 50cm diameter at base height. Some of the old hemlocks can be overlooked, but are truly impressive.
Growing mixed among the other woodland trees, eastern hemlock isn't often the dominant species. However if you find yourself wandering through a shady hillside surrounded by hemlocks, you too can feel the quiet, humble and mysterious character of a true hemlock grove during any season of the year.
