Douglas Fir: Species of the Week

I’ve spent most of my life among Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga sp.)  Although I love other trees and plant communities, Douglas fir forests still speak to me of home.  In the Pacific Northwest, they’re ubiquitous from the Cascades to the coast.  Douglas fir and other conifers of the region are why I’ve never felt at ease in the deciduous forests of eastern North America (as lovely as they are), where bare branches in winter make me especially homesick.

Douglas fir trees are familiar to many outside their natural range because they’re one of the most common trees grown on Christmas tree farms.  They’re sheared into unnatural conical shapes, then cut and shipped to regions that have no suitable evergreens.

What an odd way to celebrate trees.

This year, I decorated a live pinyon pine for Christmas (which will later be planted on property in Northeast Oregon) and then visited some local parks to photograph semi-wild Douglas fir.  It seemed like a better way to honor these beautiful – and often taken for granted – evergreen trees that symbolize the season.

Many of us learn to identify Douglas fir through a story told about their cones. The various versions are said to be based on Native American tales.  All of them feature a mouse seeking refuge from a storm (or fox, or fire) in the cones of Douglas fir.  You can still see the tiny mouse feet and tails sticking out.  No other cones have this distinctive feature, so it’s a memorable way to pick Douglas fir out from firs, hemlocks, cedars, redwoods, and pines that often grow nearby.