Ready to post -- The story behind our state tree
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Even though the Douglas fir is more common in Washington forests, the western hemlock has been Washington’s state tree since 1947. (The Douglas fir is Oregon’s state tree.)
So how did the western hemlock take its place among Washington’s state symbols? In 1946, an Oregon newspaper teased Washington for not having a state tree. The Oregonian in Portland picked out the western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) for us, but Washington newspapers decided to choose their own and selected the popular western red cedar. State Representative George Adams of Mason County pleaded with the Legislature to adopt the western hemlock. The hemlock, he said, would become "the backbone of this state's forest industry." Adams' bill passed the Legislature and was signed into law in 1947.
The western hemlock is a large evergreen coniferous tree that is native to the west coast of North America. Closely associated with temperate rain forests, the western hemlock is the largest species of hemlock, reaching 200 feet in height with a trunk diameter of 4 feet. It is notable for its drooping crown. A very shade-tolerant tree, young western hemlocks usually start growing under the canopy of other conifers such as the Sitka spruce and Douglas fir.
To see Washington’s state symbols, go here .
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Secretary of State
Steve Hobbs
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