SITKA SPRUCE, WESTERN LARCH, AND DOUGLAS FIR. 1 99 



Western Larch. — This species is found distributed between 

 the Rocky Mountains and the Cascades, south of the C.P.R. 



In comparison with the associated species, western larch has 

 a somewhat restricted range. It is confined to mountain slopes, 

 benches, flats and high valleys, at elevations of 2000- 

 7000 feet in south-east British Columbia, north-west Montana, 

 northern Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. 



The northern limit of range of this species in British 

 Columbia is very irregular, and coincides with the lakes and 

 rivers, never at any place extending far from them. 



The western limit of range is long. 119° 23'. The limit 

 runs northwards on the eastern side of Okanagan Lake, turning 

 west near the town of Armstrong for some distance before again 

 turning north and crossing the extreme west end of Shuswap 

 Lake. The tree goes right round the north end of this lake 

 (at lat. 51° 15') and extends down the east side, crossing north 

 of Mable and Sugar Lakes southwards to lat. 49° 48'. Its 

 limit then turns northwards up the western side of Upper Arrow 

 Lake, crossing east at the town of Arrowhead, and going down 

 the eastern side of this lake to lat. 49° 36'. It then runs round 

 both the east and west sides of Slocan Lake, turns northwards 

 up the west side of Kootenay Lake, eastwards on a line over 

 Duncan Lake, southwards down the east side to the lower end 

 of Kootenay Lake to lat. 49° 18'. It then runs north on the 

 west side of the Kootenay River and Purcell Range to White 

 Man's Pass, and turning south down the east side enters the 

 United States at long. 114° 42'. 



In Washington western larch occurs on the east side of the 

 Cascades as far south as the Columbia River at altitudes of 

 2200-5000 feet, and in the north-eastern mountains, but is not 

 found in the Columbia River plains. 



It occurs sparingly and in scattered groups in the extreme 

 north of Oregon. The best growth and the largest bodies of 

 contiguous western larch timber forest occur in the mountainous 

 parts of north-east Washington, northern Idaho, and north-west 

 Montana. 



Pure forests of western larch are found in the Bitter Root 

 Mountains of Idaho, mingled with a few Douglas fir and 

 western yellow pine. 



Douglas Fir has a wide distribution in western North 

 America, from central British Columbia southwards to central 



