Skip to main content

Plant Guide


Plant Materials

Plant Fact Sheet/Guide Coordination Page

National Plant Data Center


GRAND FIR

Abies grandis (Dougl. ex D.


Don) Lindl.

Plant Symbol = ABGR


Contributed By: USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data

Center & Biota of North America Program


Alternate common names

Lowland white fir, balsam fir, western balsam fir,

yellow fir, California great fir, Oregon white fir,

Puget Sound fir, giant fir, grand fir, silver fir, tall

silver fir, great silver fir, stinking fir


Uses

The soft wood of grand fir is a valued source of

pulpwood and is harvested as timber even though it is


weaker and more prone to decay than many other

species. It is also used as plywood and has been used

for various kinds of rough construction, such as

framing, sheathing, subflooring, planking, beams,

posts, siding, paneling, millwork, prefabricated

buildings and structural members, furniture parts, and

boxes and crates.


The thick-foliage, symmetry, deep green shiny color,

and strong, orangish fragrance make grand fir one of

the preferred species of Christmas trees grown in the

Northwest. Most seedlings produced for Christmas

tree growers originate from the "Panhandle" area of

Idaho. In most areas, it will produce a marketable

tree in 8-10 years. Grand fir also is valued in

plantings in recreation areas and urban sites. It grows

quickly in the moister parts of Britain and is

cultivated for timber in western and northern Europe.


Brother Alfred Brousseau


© 1995 Saint Mary's College

@ CalPhotos


The aromatic properties of grand fir were important

in many of its uses by American Indians. The

needles were boiled to make a medicinal tea for

colds. Boughs were brought inside as an air

freshener and burned as incense and to make a

purifying smoke to ward off illnesses. Dried, crushed

needles have been used as baby powder. The pitch of

young trees was mixed with oil to be used as a

deodorant and rubbed on the scalp to prevent balding.


The famous Barlow Road snub-trees on the south

side of Mount Hood in Oregon were grand firs. They

were used by early settlers to control the rate of

descent of their covered wagons on a particularly

steep slope in their trek from east to west. Some of

the rope-burned trees are still standing after 150

years.


The majority of pileated woodpecker roost trees in

northeastern Oregon were grand fir, both live and

dead, where a hollow chamber had been created by

decay from Indian paint fungus. The majority of

roosts occurred in old-growth stands of grand fir.


Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State

Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s

current status, such as, state status and wetland

indicator values.


Description

General: Pine Family (Pinaceae). Native evergreen

trees growing to 75-100 meters tall, the crown conic,


becoming round or straggly with age, branches

dropping, twigs mostly opposite. Bark: smooth, gray,

becoming brown and furrowed with age. Needles are

2-6 cm long, flattened, strongly waxy and silvery-

white on the lower surface, green above, mostly 2-

ranked, spreading horizontally, not concealing the

upper surface of twigs, the needles 1-ranked and

spiraled higher on the tree; resin canals marginal,

located near the lower epidermis; stomatal rows

absent on the upper surface at midleaf, 5-7 stomatal

rows on each side of midrib of lower surface. Seed

cones: 6-12 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, dark purple or

blue to gray or light green at maturity, erect and on

the upper branches. Native. The common name

refers to the large size of mature trees, one of the

tallest of the firs.


Variation within the species: Although Abies grandis

is fairly uniform throughout its range, a green coastal

form and gray interior form are often recognized, and

five fairly distinct climatic forms of grand fir have

been identified, differing mainly in physiological and

ecological traits. Abies grandis var. idahoensis Silba

was recently described (Silba 1990) as “an inland

variety, to 1850 m altitude” from southeast British

Columbia to central Idaho, characterized by smaller

cones, a distinct forward and vertical spread of the

leaves, and more twisted petioles. In southern

Oregon and northern California, grand fir hybridizes

and introgresses with A. concolor, which generally

grows in higher, drier habitats. Natural hybrids also

are known between grand fir and subalpine fir.


Abies grandis is distinguished from the closely

similar A. amabilis by bud scales slightly pubescent

or glabrous (vs densely pubescent), upper surface of

twigs easily visible (vs concealed by the needles),

and variably colored mature seed cones (vs purple).

Compared to subalpine fir, grand fir occurs at lower

elevations, has a wider crown, and usually produces

broad spreading lower limbs with beautifully even

secondary branchlets.


Distribution: Coastal British Columbia, south along

the coast to Sonoma County, California. A disjunct

population system in the Northern Rocky Mountains

occurs from southern British Columbia and Alberta

to Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and western Montana.

For current distribution, please consult the Plant

Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web

site.


Adaptation

Common in moist forests in stream bottoms, valleys,

and Lower Mountain slopes, preferably on N-facing

slopes, on a variety of soil types, 0-1500 meters.


Grand fir sometimes grows in pure stands but is

much more common in mixed coniferous and

hardwood forests. It is very shade tolerant, especially

when young, although growth is slower in dense

shade. It is a dominant climax species in some

habitat types and a long-lived seral species in other

types.


Establishment

Seed production in grand fir is relatively low. A

good cone crop is considered to be more than 40

cones per tree – the interval between good seed crops

is about 2-3 years. Seed production begins at about

20 years of age. Germination is best on mineral soil

but in open sites the seeds germinate nearly as well

on duff as on any other surface. Primary causes of

germination failure are insect infestation and the

perishable nature of the seeds. Grand fir seedlings

are relatively resistant to drought on areas exposed to

full sun because deep initial root penetration protects

them from drying of the surface soil. On heavily

shaded, cool areas, surface dryness from drought is

the most important physical cause of seedling

mortality because initial root penetration is slow.


Initial survival and growth of grand fir are favored by

moderate shade, where growth may be aggressive

enough to form a dominant part of the forest. After

20-30 years, it makes most rapid growth in the open.

Trees 250 years old are common and occasional trees

may be more than 300 years old.


Management

Susceptibility to heart rot and decay is one of the

more important factors in management of grand fir.

Centers of decay are closely related to logging scars,

frost cracks, broken tops, and other mechanical

injuries. Grand fir is thin-barked and sensitive to fire

– ground fires in moist creek bottoms are highly

damaging but trees on dry hillsides are more

resistant, largely because of a deeper root system and

thicker bark. Control of fires in the drier southern

parts of the Northwest has allowed an increase in

range of grand fir over the last 50 years.


Well-stored seed can retain viability for up to 5 years,

but germination is often poor, usually taking about 6-

8 weeks. If seed are sown in a cold frame

immediately after autumn ripening, stratification is

said to produce a more even germination. Seedlings

are usually transplanted in a nursery for 1-2 years.

Young trees should be planted into their permanent

positions when they are well under one meter tall.


Cultivars, Improved and Selected Plant Materials

(and area of origin)


This tree should be available through your local

nursery.


References

Bull, E.L., R.S. Holthausen, & M.G. Henjum 1992.

Roost trees used by pileated woodpeckers in

northeastern Oregon. J. Wildlife Management

56:786-793.


Foiles, M.W., R.T. Graham, & D.F. Olson, Jr. 1990.

Abies grandis. Pp. 52-59, IN: R.M. Burns and B.H.

Honkala. Silvics of North America. Volume 1.

Conifers. USDA, Forest Service Agric. Handbook

654, Washington, D.C.

of_contents.htm>


Hunt, R.S. 1993. Abies. Pp. 354-362, IN:Flora of

North America, North of Mexico. Vol. 2,

Pteridophytes and gymnosperms. Oxford Univ.

Press, New York.
bin/Flora/flora.pl?FLORA_ID=12395>


Silba, J. 1990. A supplement to the international

census of the Coniferae, II. Phytologia 68:7-78.


Van Pelt, R. 1996. Champion trees of Washington

State. University of Washington Press, Seattle,

Washington.


Xie, C.-Y. & C.C. Ying 1993. Geographic variation

of grand fir (Abies grandis (Dougl.) Lindl.) in the

Pacific Coast region - 10 year results from a

provenance trail. Canad. J. For. Res. 23:1065-1072.


Prepared By

Guy Nesom

BONAP, North Carolina Botanical Garden,

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North

Carolina


Species Coordinator

Lincoln Moore

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center, Baton

Rouge, Louisiana


Edited: 13nov00 jsp; 25feb03 ahvv; 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


The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits

discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of

race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political

beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all


prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities

who require alternative means for communication of program

information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact

USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).


To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office

of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and

Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call

202-720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity

provider and employer.


Read about Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation

Service.


http://plants.usda.gov/
http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/
http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/civilrights/
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/civilrights/


Contributed By: USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center & Biota of North America Program

x

Please add some content in Animated Sidebar block region. For more information please refer to this tutorial page:

Add content in animated sidebar