Cottonwood and Balsam Poplar | Geophysical Institute
Dec 18, 2025 · 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 giant belies the …
Northern Tree Habitats - Geophysical Institute
Dec 18, 2025 · 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 have all …
The majesty and mystery of Alaska yellow cedar | Geophysical Institute
Jul 23, 2021 · A tree near one of our campsites had a crack at its base through which we could pass the folded saw. Yet the tree was still alive, with just one rope of cambium — the outer bark that …
The adaptable, continental great horned owl | Geophysical Institute
Apr 10, 2025 · A great horned owl perches on a spruce tree at midnight north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska. Photo by Ned Rozell. The talons of a great horned owl — this one killed by a car on the …
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 newborn red …
Fighting Fire with Soap: Alaska Experiments with Foam
Dec 18, 2025 · Dry foams stay in the tree tops, keeping a fire from traveling in the canopy. Wetter foams drip down into the Lower vegetation, soaking it and dousing ground fires. Besides being dropped …
Burls and Human Cancer | Geophysical Institute
Dec 18, 2025 · Photograph of a section cut from a tree with 5 burls that simultaneously grew at the same level on the tree. Annual growth rings can be followed around the tree trunk at center and into each …
The Smell of Christmas | Geophysical Institute
Nov 20, 2025 · Warmed by burning volatiles, the terpenes evaporate and fuel an expanding fireball that ignites the next tree downwind. So when you smell your Christmas tree, think of terpenes, hazy …
The Life of A White Spruce In The Subarctic | Geophysical Institute
Dec 18, 2025 · This majestic tree is one of the most commercially important species in the Interior, it is valued for the houselogs, firewood, and other products that are derived from it. In fact, it has been …
More on Why Tree Trunks Spiral | Geophysical Institute
Dec 18, 2025 · 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 here: …