Douglas fir

Douglas fir

• The Douglas fir - Pseudotsuga menziesii - is one of six species in the genus Pseudotsuga. All live in the Northern Hemisphere; four in Eastern Asia and two in north west America.
• Douglas fir has a wide natural distribution along the Pacific Coast of north America from northern British Columbia southwards to northern California, the Rockies and Mexico where it is of great commercial importance.
• First imported to Britain in 1827 by the famous plant hunter, David Douglas, it grows best here in the wetter western parts or in sufficiently moist soils elsewhere.
• It does not prosper on exposed sites and requires sheltered conditions and clean air for healthy growth so is best cultivated on lower valley slopes and bottoms with moderate to good soil fertility and deep, well-drained soils.
• Douglas is a very tall, majestic species, often reaching 50m (155 feet) here.
• The cones are very distinctive - egg shaped, hanging downwards and with a unique three-pointed bract on the outside of each cone scale.



• Pernickety about where it thrives, in good conditions Douglas fir is one of the best timber species as it is both productive and has a valuable timber. Although it accounts for only a small proportion of forest land in Britain, it is one of the most sought after commercial trees.
• When it is free from knots, Douglas fir is often marketed as "Oregon Pine" and is one of the world's finest coniferous timbers, valued for veneering, joinery and decoration and attracting premium prices.