Eastern Hemlock— Tsuga canadensis

This chapter focuses on hemlock, which is narrowly constrained to mountainous regions in the southern Appalachians but much more broadly distributed in New England, northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and adjacent areas of Canada. Eastern hemlock develops into almost pure stands, casting a deep shade that primarily allows other hemlocks to regenerate. It considers the hemlock as an incredibly shade-tolerant tree, which exhibits a classic slow and steady growth habit. The chapter talks about the widespread insect outbreak that decimated eastern hemlock populations. Logging has attempted to help slow the invasive insect's spread in the pest's inexorable rush to cover all hemlock, but the landscape ultimately ends devoid of hemlock.