Alaska Native Trees

Photo courtesy Steven Darwin, Tulane University

Alaska truely deserves to be called

America's 'Last Frontier'. There are 127

million acres of forested lands in Alaska, which is

17% of all the forests in the United States. Its vast

forests are home to tree champions, abundant

wildlife and once held mystical golden Sitka Spruce,

the only known specimen of its kind. The sacred tree

of the native people, it was a wonder to the culture

that grew up around it and to the scientific

community. Unfortunately, the tale is sad and tragic

as the tree was cut down in the 1990's by a

-Color denotes a tree that is rare or endangered

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Native Trees of Alaska

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• Alaska Native Trees A to Z

• Alaska Tree Facts

• Alaska Tree Families and Species

• Endangered/Threatened Species

• Tree Nurseries in Alaska

State Tree: Sitka Spruce

sitchensis, Sitka Spruce, grows at a moderate pace and may reach

40 feet in 20 years.

An evergreen conifer, this native tree plays an important part of the

Alaskan ecosystem. Ninety percent of blue grouse bird's winter diet

is Sitka Spruce needles. In other areas of it's range, it provides crucial

winter shelter for Sitka deer. It is also important economically as

Alaska's most important timber tree. The wood of Sitka Spruce is

strong, with a good strength to weight ratio, and is used to make high

quality masts for sail boats, oars and racing sculls. Musical

instruments such as guitars and piano sound boards are also often

made from Sitka Spruce wood due to the woods high resonant quality.

High grade wood pulp and plywood is also made from Picea

sitchensis wood.

The largest Sitka Spruce is found in the Quinault Rainforest in

Washington. It is a whopping 18 feet, 9 inches in diameter, 191 feet

tall and is estimated to be at least 1,000 years old.

Sitka Spruce tends to grow at lower elevations, near sea level up to 3,900 feet in Alaska.

It is more tolerant of sea spray than most trees and can be found near shorelines and brackish

bogs in it's southern range and from seaside to timber lines in the northern part. Sitka Spruce

are large and extremely long lived trees. They typically grow 150 to 200 feet tall, some taller,

with a 3 to 6 foot wide trunk (some MUCH wider) and live well past 800 years. Picea

Photo citation: Olaf Ribeiro, PhD, CPAg-

Ribeiro Tree Evaluations Inc.

See usage requirements.

Alaska Tree Facts

Forested acres: 127 million
Percent of total area forested: 35%
Percent of total United States Forested Area: 17%
Number of Forest Regions: 3
Number of urban trees: inventories in progress
Number of Tree city USA communities: 8
Number of invasive trees/shrubs: 1 of concern (see state list for noxious/invasive plants)
Most damaging insect (to trees): Spruce bark beetles
Number of tree families in our collection: 7
Number of endangered or threatened species in our collection: 0

Sources:
Alaska Division of Forestry Annual Report, 2011. (pdf)
Alaska Forest Health Conditions Report, 2011 (pdf)

Additional state resources:
Alaska Division of Forestry

Follow the links to view species native to Alaska. If the genus is not linked, species are listed on the family page.

Aceraceae, Maple
Betulaceae, Birch
    Alnus, Alder
Caprifoliaceae, Honeysuckle
Cupressaceae- Cypress
    Juniperus, Juniper
    Thuja, Arborvitae

Alaska Tree Families and Genera

click to enlarge.

Useful information while browsing species:

• How to read a botanical name

• How to use our species boxes:

-Color denotes a tree that is rare or endangered

Please note: This is not a complete list of all native tree families and species found in Alaska. We are constantly working towards a more comprehensive list and will add families and their species as completed.

Additional Resources:

North American Native Tree Families
North American A to Z List by Scientific Name
North American A to Z List by Common Name

Pinaceae, Pine
    Abies, Fir
    Larix, Larch
    Picea, Spruce
    Pinus, Pine
    Pseudotsuga, Douglas Fir
    Tsuga, Hemlock

Rosaceae, Rose
    Crataegus, Hawthorn
    Prunus, Plum/Cherry
Salicaceae, Willow
    Populus, Cottonwood
    Salix, Willow
Taxaceae, Yew

Looking for a nursery near you?
Check out our nursery listing by county below!

Sorry, we do not currently have any tree nursery listings for this state. We do update these lists, so please check back.

treesforme.com Webutation

Alaska Endangered or Threatened Tree Species

Additional Resources:

North American Rare and Endangered Trees

External Links:
USDA PLANTS Database

This is not a comprehensive list but we are always working on adding more and will update accordingly.

Salix reticula ssp. glabellicarpa- Netleaf Willow (shrub/subshrub)

Tree lists:
•A-Z by scientific
name
•A-Z by common
name
•By Family

For state A-Z list click state name below.

disgruntled man in what he claims was a protest against the logging companies. Several

cuttings had been taken in previous years and new ones were made from the remains of the

original so all hope is not lost on restoring this seriously one of a kind tree. You can read

more about it here.

Alaska

The Last Frontier, 'North to the Future'