Wrangell - St Elias National Park and 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.