I discovered that the only larch in here were the ones visible from the
road..all between 30 to 60' average height. Absolutely no saplings or anything
under these heights !
can anyone tell me why there were no younger trees anywhere to be found ?

This is common. The conditions which promote seed germination and the growth of
young trees are not the same as those which promote the continued success of
mature specimens. In general, seedlings require sun. As they grow, there is
more and more shade. In a mature forest, it is too shady for any more seedlings
of the same species. Look for young trees at the edge of the woods, in
clearings, or where mature trees have died or been chopped down. Forests grow
in succession. In the most sun, you will find birches, poplars, and junk trees.
In partial shade you will find the maples and flowering trees, like dogwood.
Deeper in the woods are the oaks and beeches. The final stage, what is called
the climax forest, is the shadiest. In the Northeast US, it is the beech and
hemlock forest. If you wanted yamadori beeches or hemlocks, you would look at
the edge, where there are mature maples, or by the roadside, where the
seedlings get some sun.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)