Pine trees

In Denali National Park I am in the interpretive division. It's the interp rangers that lead all the visitor programs in the park, so they are basically the face of the park to the public. As video and photos also reach visitors, it's where I fall as well.

As part of our training we go on nature walks to learn some of the local flora and fauna. Visitors are usually pretty curious, so it's good stuff to know. Fair enough. I can tell a moose from a caribou. But one day Marisa pointed to a tree and asked what it was. The tree was covered in needles so I said "pine tree" with a smile, confident that my answer was vague enough to be correct. Turns out, there are no pine trees trees in Denali. Just spruce trees.

On the upside, I can now identify the few trees that can survive the winters here. The main ones are the aspen, birch and spruce trees (of the white and black variety).