Plant Fact Sheet
Plant Materials
Plant Fact Sheet/Guide Coordination Page
National Plant Data Center
WHITE FIR
Abies concolor (Gord. &
Glend.) Lindl. Ex Hildebr.
Plant Symbol = ABCO
Contributed by: USDA NRCS Plant Materials
Program
Uses
Timber: It is cut for lumber, boxes and crates,
planning mill products, sashes, doors, and general
mill work and pulpwood. It is light in weight, easy to
work, and relatively free from splitting when nailed;
it holds nails only moderately well.
Ornamental: White fir makes an excellent Christmas
tree for it has a delightful aroma, retains its needles
well after cutting, and has strong sturdy branches that
hold their shape. It is highly regarded as an
ornamental or specimen tree in colder, moister
climates.
Wildlife: White fir seed is eaten by squirrels and other
rodents. Seedlings are often browsed extensively by
deer. Porcupines will gnaw the bark, and grouse will
feed on the buds and needles. White fir makes good
winter roosting trees for grouse.
Status
Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State
Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s
current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species,
state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).
©W.L. Wagner
Smithsonian Institution
@ USDA NRCS PLANTS
Description
Abies concolor (Gord. & Glend.) Lindl. ex Hildebr.,
white fir, is a large forest tree from 60 to 200 feet in
height that can live up to 300 years or more. Its
leaves or needles are 2 to 3 inches long, silvery-blue
to silvery-green, extending at nearly right angles
from all sides of the twig or more or less obscurely 2-
ranked; flattened, stomatiferous above and below,
rounded or acute at the apex. The upright cones are 2
to 5 inches long, oblong, olive-green to purple; bracts
shorter than the scales, with short, broad erose
shoulders, and spikelike tips. The bark is 4 to 7
inches thick on old trunks, ashy gray and divided by
deep irregular furrows in thick, horny flattened
ridges; young stems with conspicuous resin blisters.
Adaptation and Distribution
White fir is found in areas characterized by a
moderately humid climate with long winters and
moderate to heavy deposits of snow. It is found
principally where precipitation exceeds 20 inches;
however, best development is in areas where
precipitation is 35 to 75 inches annually. Most white
fir is found at elevations of 4,000 to 10,000 feet along
the western Sierra Nevada. White fir grows on soils
from a wide variety of parent materials, including
andesite, basalt, granite, pumice, sandstone and shale.
Deep and permeable soils are best for growth when
supplied with adequate moisture. Soils on which
white fir is frequently found include the Aiken,
Holland, Hugo, Olympic, Sheet Iron and Sites series.
Most soils on which white fir occurs are moderately
to strongly acid, friable, granular and clay loam.
White fir is distributed primarily throughout the
western United States. For a current distribution
map, please consult the Plant Profile page for this
species on the PLANTS Website.
Establishment
White fir may be regenerated by natural seeding,
direct seeded, or planted. Cones begin to disintegrate
and shed seeds in late September or early October,
and there is a good seed crop about every 2 to 5
years. The seed germinates in the spring but usually
less than 50 percent of the seed germinate. White fir
is generally rated as tolerant to very tolerant of shade
so that selective (partial) cutting tends to favor this
species. Initial growth rate is usually very slow up to
about 30 years, then growth accelerates markedly. In
planting white fir 2 to 4 year old stock is
recommended. In direct seeding 10 to 15 seeds per
spot is recommended. To ensure adequate stocking
of natural seedings, clear cutting strips 130 to 200
feet wide or patches up to 250 feet across the largest
dimension is recommended. At least 10 seed trees
per acre should be left if larger areas are clear cut
when adequate seedlings are not present.
Management
On better sites fully stocked, unmanaged stands of
white fir may yield up to 150,000 board feet per acre
at age 100. Thinning white fir stands periodically
will salvage trees which would be lost to natural
mortality. Pruning is not ordinarily recommended for
white fir because of its tendency for epicormic
sprouting and unless the tree is being grown for
veneer or finish lumber, there is not need for this
practice.
Young trees are easily killed by fire and must be
protected from this hazard. Young sapling and pole
sized trees are subject to sunscald when exposed
suddenly, and thinnings should be light because of
this. White fir is more prone to windthrow than
ponderosa pine because of its more shallow, wide
spreading root system, and care should be taken in
partial cuttings to leave buffer strips against the wind
and to thin conservatively.
White fir Christmas trees require 6 to 9 years to
produce a 6 foot tree. They need cultivation or other
treatment to prevent excessive competition from
grass. Excessive leader growth will need to be
controlled by basal pruning, basal scarring or pruning
of the terminal shoot. Leader growth should be kept
to about 12 inches.
Pests and Potential Problems
Some of the more important enemies of white fir are
the spruce budworm, Douglas-fir tussock moth, many
different bark beetles, mistletoe and heart rot fungi.
Needle rusts may be a serious problem in producing
Christmas trees, and white fir is one of the conifers
most sensitive to sulphur dioxide.
Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and
area of origin)
White pine seed can be purchased at most
commercial seed sources in the west. Seedlings can
also be purchased from pine nurseries in the western
part of the country.
Prepared By & Species Coordinator:
USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program
31Jan2002 JLK; 24may06jsp
For more information about this and other plants, please contact
your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the
PLANTS Web site or the Plant Materials
Program Web site
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Uses
Status
Description
Adaptation and Distribution
Establishment
Management
Pests and Potential Problems
Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin)
Prepared By & Species Coordinator:
31Jan2002 JLK; 24may06jsp
