[4] Larix laricina is a small to medium-size boreal deciduous conifer tree reaching 15–23 m (49–75 ft) tall, with a trunk up to 60 cm (24 in) diameter.

[6] Key characteristics:[7] Tamaracks are very cold tolerant, able to survive temperatures down to at least −62 °C (−80 °F), and commonly occurs at the Arctic tree line at the edge of the tundra.

[5][8] In the lake states, tamarack may appear first in the sedge mat, sphagnum moss, or not until the bog shrub stage.

Tamarack is fairly well adapted to reproduce successfully on burns, so it is one of the common pioneers on sites in the boreal forest immediately after a fire.

[8] Flooding, mainly caused by beaver dams and newly constructed roads, can kill off stands and damage adventitious roots.

[8] There are some other insects that can harm Tamaracks, including spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana); the larch-bud moth (Zeiraphera improbana); the spruce spider mite (Oligonychus ununguis); the larch-shoot moth (Argyresthia laricella); and the eastern larch beetle (Dendroctonus simplex).

[10][8] Only one of the many pathogens that affect Tamarack causing diseases serious enough to have an economic impact on its culture, is the Lachnellula willkommii fungus.

[5] In the rest of its United States range and in the Maritime Provinces, tamarack is found locally in both pure and mixed stands.

[5] Black spruce (Picea mariana) is usually tamarack's main associate in mixed stands on all sites.

Other commonly associated overgrowth species include balsam fir (Abies balsamea), white spruce (Picea glauca), and quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) in the boreal region.

), speckled alder (Alnus rugosa), and red-osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) bog Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum), bog-rosemary (Andromeda glaucophylla), leather leaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata), blueberries and huckleberries (Vaccinium spp.)

[8] Currently, the wood is used principally for pulpwood, but also for posts, poles, rough lumber, and fuelwood; it is not a major commercial timber species.

[5] Older log homes built in the 19th century sometimes incorporated tamarack along with other species like red or white oak.

The aboriginal peoples of Canada's northwest regions used the inner bark as a poultice to treat cuts, infected wounds, frostbite, boils and hemorrhoids.

[5][8] Recurring sawfly outbreaks throughout the range of tamarack have probably sped the usual succession to black spruce or other associates.

Satisfactory reestablishment of tamarack, however, often requires some kind of site preparation, such as slash disposal and herbicide spraying.