Facts on Planting Tamarack Trees

Geography

• The geographic distribution of the tamarack includes areas as far north as Alaska and the Yukon Territories in Canada. Tamaracks do not grow in the wild south of states such as Pennsylvania and West Virginia, so it is not a tree for planting in warm climates. If you live in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 through 5, you reside where a tamarack can survive. Zones warmer than USDA zone 5 are not suitable for this species.

Light Requirements

• The tamarack requires large doses of sunshine to thrive. It can establish itself on a site where there is some light shade, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden; however, heavy shade dooms this tree. In a wild setting, the tamarack is among the first trees to begin growing in a burned over forest setting, but other types of trees, including black spruce, grow up around them and generate enough shade to stunt their growth.

Soil Requirements

• High amounts of moisture in the ground do not necessarily mean that a tamarack will not grow there. The tree prefers damp soil, as long as it drains well. Dry sites will not support a tamarack. The tree also does well where the soil is acidic, reports the University of Connecticut Plant Database. Even highly acidic soil will not deter the tamarack's growth, states the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

More Planting Facts

• The most viable seeds produced by tamaracks come from trees between 50 and 150 years old, even though trees as young as 10 years generate seeds. Rodents, fungi and bacteria take a heavy toll on tamarack seeds. Tamarack seeds normally prosper where a light covering of grass over them is present. City venues are usually poor locations for tamaracks, as the tree is sensitive to different forms of pollution.