Text File | 1994-05-02 | 928 b | 3 lines | [TEXT/MSWD]
The Douglas Fir trees (Pseudotsuga menziesil) are not firs, but close relatives of Hemlock, in the Pine family. They stand in a triangular shape, growing to a fine tapered point at the top. Like the Hemlock, they have flat, soft, short-stalked needles growing in a flattened spiral around the twig. The best way to identify the tree is by the cone, which has a three-lobed bract that extends from between the cone scales.
They are the largest trees, next to the Giant Sequoias. Some grow over 250 feet high, with trunks 8 feet in diameter, but 100 feet is more common in the Rockies due to the colder temperatures, shorter growing season, and more arid conditions. They prefer the wetter north slopes and live in the Lower Montane zone above (6,000'). Douglas Firs often give northern facing slopes a lush green appearance and are often mixed with Ponderosa trees. Clark's Nutcracker frequents these forests.
