that of the common western red cedar, but the leaves are
sharper, more pointed, and rougher to handle. The small, rounded,
inconspicuous cones are produced somewhat sparingly. The bark of the
young tree is red. On the mature tree it becomes gray and fibrous. The
wood is yellow, close grained, and aromatic. Unlike that of the western
red cedar, the trunk is usually sound to the center. The wood is used
for boat building and cabinetwork. It is very durable.

The yellow cypress grows very slowly, particularly at high elevations.
The number of annual rings on trees 15 to 20 inches in diameter indicate
that they are over 200 years old.

LODGEPOLE PINE (PINUS CONTORTA).

Lodgepole pine (fig. 17) is widely distributed from Alaska to Lower
California and eastward through the Rockies to Dakota and Colorado. It
occurs sparingly in the park up to 5,000 feet above sea level. It adapts
itself easily to the different conditions of soil, moisture, and
exposure.

[Illustration: FIG. 17.--Lodgepole pine (_Pinus contorta_), 60 inches in
diameter.]

This tree varies greatly in the different regions where it is found.
About Mount Rainier it does not often exceed 20 to 40 feet in height
and is often a much smaller tree. It produces cones at the age of 5 to 7
years. The foliage is a yellowish green. At high elevations the leaves
have a peculiar whorled appearance which gives it a different aspect
from that of the other pines. The short, heavily limbed trunk bears no
resemblance to the tall and slender shaft of the lodgepole pine of the
Rocky Mountains. The root system is shallow and the tree is easily fire
killed. The wood of the variety which grows in the park is of no
commercial value.

[Illustration: FIG. 18.--The feathery foliage of mountain hemlock
(_Tsuga mertensiana_), Grand Park, Mount Rainier National Park.

Photograph by A.H. Denman.]

MOUNTAIN HEMLOCK (TSUGA MERTENSIANA).

The mountain hemlock (figs. 18, 19, and 20) is found on the Pacific
coast from the Sierras of California to the northern part of Alaska
where it grows at sea level. On Mount Rainier it occurs at altitudes of
from 3,500 to 7,500 feet. It forms dense forests under 4,500 feet, where
it is often a fair-sized tree 50 to 90 feet high. With the ascent of the
mountain it diminishes in height and the branches become gnarled and
twisted. Near timber line the trunk is dwarfed and bent at the base and
the crown becomes a flattened mass of branches lying clos