MOUNT RAINIER The Forests of Mount Rainier National Park

ALPINE FIR (ABIES LASIOCARPA)¹

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¹This species is known as balsam in Glacier and Yellowstone Parks.

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The alpine fir (fig. 13) ranges from Alaska to New Mexico. It is a common tree in the park at elevations above 4,500 feet. It is a tree of the high mountains and with white bark pine and the mountain hemlock, is found up to the limit of arborescent life. It demands moisture and is generally restricted to regions of deep snowfall.

Fig. 13.—A cluster of Alpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), whose spire-shaped crowns are characteristic, at 5,500 feet altitude, in Cowlitz Park, Mount Rainier National Park. Photograph by A. H. Barnes.

The alpine fir occurs in mixed stands, but is often associated with the mountain hemlock. At the lower levels of its range it is a fair-sized tree 50 or 60 feet high. The crown of deep-green foliage is broad at the base and tapers to the top, where it terminates in a slender, pointy tip. At its upper limit it becomes a stunted shrub, with wide extended branches resting on the ground.

The alpine fir bears upright clusters of deep-purple cones. It seeds sparingly each year. The seasons of heavy seed production occur at intervals of three or four years. The wood is soft and splits easily. It is of no commercial value. The tree is easily killed by fire, which blisters the thin bark and frequently springs into the drooping lower branches.