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FAlphabetical List of Plants & Trees
FBotanical Name Index
FEvergreen Trees
FDeciduous Trees
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GRAND FIR
Abies grandis
Common Names:
Silver Fir. Great Fir. Lowland Fir. Lowland White
Fir. Western Fir. White Fir. Yellow
Fir.
Range: Western
North America - British Columbia to California, east to Montana and Idaho.
Habitat: Found in a variety of soils, but the best specimens are growing in deep rich
soils. |
| Description:
An evergreen tree that grows at a fast rate. A very ornamental plant, it is rarely harmed by disease, insects or
frost. The crushed leaves have a fruity orange-flavored aroma. The growing plant exudes a pungent, balsamic fragrance.
Tree heights at maturity generally range from 140 to 200 feet along the
Coast and from 131 to 164 feet inland. The species is not long-lived
but frequently reaches an age of 250 years and occasionally exceeds 300
years. The trees are densely branched to the ground with sweeping,
flat branches. The long, blunt-tipped needles are dark green on top
and whitish underneath. |
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They are arranged in two rows on opposite
sides of the twigs and spread out flat on the lower boughs. Near the top
of the tree, the needles curve upward. The rooting system is shallow to
moderate. The taproot does not grow as deep as those of associated
dry-site conifers, but it is deeper than those of wet-site conifers.
On moist sites, shallow lateral roots prevail, and the taproot may be
absent. The bark is grayish to light brown, smooth or shallowly ridged,
and flakes on mature trees. |
Edible:
Inner bark - cooked. It is usually dried, ground into a powder and then
used as a thickening in soups etc or mixed with cereals when making bread. It is best used in the spring when it is rich and
juicy. An
emergency food, it is only used when all else fails.
The gum from the trunk is hardened and used as a
chewing gum. It can also be made into a drink. Young shoot tips are used as a tea
substitute.
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Medicine: A gum that exudes from the bark is used externally as an
ointment.
It has also been used as a wash for sore and infected eyes and as a gargle
for sore throats. A decoction is laxative and tonic, it is used to treat
stomach problems. Externally, the gum is applied as a poultice to cuts
and sores.
A decoction of the root bark or stem is used in the treatment of stomach
problems and tuberculosis. A poultice is applied to joints to ease rheumatism or
to the chest to treat lung hemorrhages.
A decoction of the leaves is used as a tonic and in the treatment of colds.
Wildlife:
Fir needles are a major part of the diet of grouse. Deer, elk, and moose may
resort to eating fir needles in winter. Birds, and the Douglas' squirrel and
other small mammals eat the seeds of Grand Fir.
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Grand Fir provides good thermal and hiding
cover, often close to water, for big game animals. Young trees provide good
cover for small animals and gamebirds, especially during the winter. Grand Fir's
downward sweeping boughs provide good nesting and roosting sites for birds. Old,
rotten grand fir trees and snags provide nesting and feeding sites for
woodpeckers and other cavity nesters, other birds, the deer mouse, bushy-tailed
woodrat, marten, fisher, spotted skunk, and various squirrels and weasels.
Woodpeckers in the Blue Mountains of Oregon and Washington prefer nesting in
Grand Fir or sub-alpine fir trees. Hollowed trunks are used as dens by small
mammals and bears, and the thick boughs provide temporary shelter during
rainstorms.
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Native Use: Northwest tribes
have made good use of Grand Fir foliage and branches. Kwakwaka'wakw elders
wove its branches into headdresses and costumes and used the branches for
scrubbing individuals in purification rites. The Hesquiat tribes used its
branches as incense and decorative clothing for wolf dancers.
It was occasionally used as a fuel.
Some interior tribes such as the Okanogan, also made canoes from its bark.
Pitch was applied to bows for a secure grip and rubbed on paddles and
scorched for a good finish. A brown dye from its bark was used in making
baskets by the Straits Salish tribe, along with a pink dye made by mixing
the brown dye with red ochre. Knots were shaped, steamed and carved into
halibut hooks by several coastal tribes.
Grand Fir bark, sometimes mixed with
stinging nettles, was boiled and the concoction used for bathing and as a
general tonic. The Lushoot tribe boiled needles to make a medicinal tea
for colds. The Ditidaht sometimes brought boughs inside as a air freshener
and burned them as an incense and to make a purifying smoke to ward off
illnesses. They also crushed and mixed the bark of Grand Fir, Red Alder
and Western Hemlock and made an infusion that was rank for internal
injuries. The Hesquiat mixed the pitch of young trees with oil and rubbed
it on the scalp as a deodorant and to prevent balding.
Other Uses:
The aromatic leaves are used as a moth repellent. The boughs have
been used in the home as an incense.
A pink dye can be obtained from the bark.
The dried and hardened pitch can be chewed as a tooth cleanser.
A powder made from the dried and crushed leaves was used as a baby powder by
North American Indians.
The bark can be used as a waterproof covering material for buildings and
canoes.
Wood - light, soft, coarse grained, not strong, not very durable. Used for
interior work. Of little value as a lumber, it is
used mainly for pulp and fuel.
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