Tamarack have clusters of very light green needles about one to two inches long randomly dispersed throughout its branches. The tamarack never really fills out and will have a sparse, almost sickly appearance. Many of the northwoods lakes receive their lightly stained color from the acids emitted from the tamarack's roots. A deer's favorite winter meal consists of cedar, an unusual and unique-looking tree. The cedar has flat groupings of scaly leaves or needles.
Cedars inhabit low-lying wet areas, especially near rapids and shorelines.
The light brown, scruffy-looking bark hides a strong wood excellent for building. The cedar also has a refreshing scent. It is a temptation to pull the white peeling bark from a birch tree, but please don't. Removing bark from trees exposes it to bugs, disease, and certain death. Young birch trees have a deep reddish-brown bark.