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Subalpine
Fir
Common
Name(s):
Subalpine Fir
Balsam Fir
Scientific
Name:
Abies
lasiocarpa Nutt.
Scientific
Name Synonyms:
None known
Symbol:
ABLA
Description:
Life Span: Perennial
Origin:
Native
Season: Evergreen
Growth Characteristics:
Subalpine
fir has a very distinctive crown that is slender and spire-like.
The upper several feet of the crown may have a diameter of less
than 1 foot. The branches of this tree persist on the trunk right
to the ground. This tree seldom exceeds 90 feet in height and 2
feet in diameter at maturity.
Flowers/Inflorescence:
Cones
are produced in abundance each year near the tops of the tree. Male
cones are in small clusters on underside of twig ends. Female (seed)
cones are about 3-½ inches long and dark purple when mature.
They always grow on upper branches in an erect position on twigs.
When these cones mature, the cone scales and seeds fall off leaving
an erect woody spike-like cone axis on the twig. Subalpine fir cones
mature in one growing season.
Fruits/Seeds:
The seeds are about ¼ inch long with a single, broad, flat,
terminal wing.
Leaves: Needle-like,
and about 1 inch long. The tips of the leaves are blunt and the
leaf itself is flattened and flexible. Even though the leaves arise
from twigs on all sides (spirally arranged), they all tend to grow
upward. Buds are about ¼ inch long and orange colored.
Stems: Twigs
are usually smooth with small, inconspicuous leaf scars. Young growth
twigs are covered with fine hairs. The bark is thin, smooth, and
ash-gray colored on young trees. It becomes somewhat furrowed on
older trunks. Small resin blisters are abundant on young to medium
age trees. The wood is soft and rather brittle, usually light in
color and very quick to decay.
Ecological
Adaptations:
Subalpine
fir is a middle to upper elevation mountain conifer. It generally
occupies sites with a short growing season caused by cold winters,
cool summers, frequent summer frosts, and heavy snowpack. It forms
extensive forests between warm and dry lower elevation forests of
Douglas-fir, white fir, lodgepole pine, or blue spruce, and higher
elevation alpine tundra. At its lower elevational limits, subalpine
fir is often restricted to streambottoms, ravines, frosty basins,
or north exposures. It increasingly occupies westerly and easterly
aspects with increasing elevation and may occupy all aspects at
upper timberline. It is shade tolerant.
Soils: Moist
Associated Species:
Douglas
fir, Engelmann spruce, and
blue spruce.
Uses and
Management:
Subalpine
fir has had only limited use in Utah. The wood is primarily used
for products such as lumber for home construction and for prefabricated
wood products. Subalpine fir has excellent pulping properties. Use
for poles and pilings requires large amounts of preservatives because
the wood decays rapidly. Small trees are extensively used for Christmas
trees.
Subalpine-fir-dominated stands generally do not produce enough forage
for livestock but do provide browse and cover for large and small
wildlife species. Mule deer, elk, moose, woodland caribou, black
bear, and grizzly bear often use subalpine fir habitats as summer
range. Its seeds are eaten by several species of small mammals and
birds.
Native Americans used various parts of subalpine fir for numerous
purposes. A hair tonic was prepared by mixing powdered needles with
deer grease. Finely ground needles were also sprinkled on open cuts.
Sticky resin collected from the bark was boiled and used as an antiseptic
for wounds or as a tea for colds. Boughs were placed in rooms for
their aroma, and pulverized needles were used as a body scent or
as perfume for clothing.
Resin from the bark is used in the optical industry and in laboratories
as a cement for lenses and microscope slides.
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