Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve - Trees and Shrubs

Tree communities in the park are often determined by the presence of permafrost as much as climatic zones. Areas underlain with permafrost are characterized by black spruce ( Picea mariana ) which is often twisted and stunted in growth. Wetlands and sinkholes are often characterized by Salix spp , dwarf birch ( Betula glandulosa ); while white spruce ( Picea glauca ) likes to keep its roots dry and tends to be in the uplands occasionally mixed with paper birch ( Betula resinifera ). In the Chugach Range, treeline is lower and can be dominated more by shrubs that trees.