
Northern Tree Habitats - Geophysical Institute
3 days ago · Interior Alaskan forests have only six native tree species: white spruce, black spruce, quaking aspen, balsam poplar, larch (tamarack) and paper birch. Northern Canadian forests …
Cottonwood and Balsam Poplar | Geophysical Institute
3 days ago · The Klukwan giant holds the national record for black cottonwood diameter. Its nearest rival, a tree near Salem, Oregon, does hold the national height record. The Klukwan …
Tropical Fossils in Alaska | Geophysical Institute
Jan 29, 2026 · A 20-inch fossil palm leaf that once waved over a tropical forest in Alaska 45-60 million years ago. The fossil was found in rocks near the Malaspina Glacier. Photo from the …
More on Why Tree Trunks Spiral | Geophysical Institute
Jan 29, 2026 · I eventually found a tree with a spiral lightning mark and it followed the spiral grain exactly. One tree, of course, proves nothing. "But why should the tree spiral? More speculation …
Tree Rings and History | Geophysical Institute
Jan 29, 2026 · A tree's age can be easily determined by counting its growth rings, as any Boy or Girl Scout knows. Annually, the tree adds new layers of wood which thicken during the …
Burls - Geophysical Institute
Dec 18, 2025 · Burls, spherical woody growths on the trunks of spruce, birch and other trees, are commonly found throughout wooded parts of Alaska.
The Pinhole: Nature's Lens | Geophysical Institute
Jul 10, 1972 · Sunlight passing through minor apertures between tree leaves is focused like the rays in a pinhole camera (and, just as with a simple lens, the image is upside-down).
The secret life of red squirrels | Geophysical Institute
Nov 27, 2024 · Stan Boutin has climbed more than 5,000 spruce trees in the last 30 years. He has often returned to the forest floor knowing if a ball of twigs and moss within the tree contained …
Bark Beetles in Spruce Trees | Geophysical Institute
Nov 20, 2025 · Bark beetles attack spruce trees in early summer. These brownish black beetles are common throughout Alaska and Yukon Territory where they kill trees by boring through the …
Orange trees in the Alaska Range | Geophysical Institute
Sep 3, 2020 · It was a tree disease known as spruce needle rust, which infects only the current year’s needles of white, black and Sitka spruce trees. The orange powder is composed of …