Distinguishing between subalpine fir, Abies lasiocarpa and douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii

I've already described pine trees and spruce trees.

Abies lasiocarpa or subalipine fir is the species that grows around Prince George in BC’s interior. At first glance fir trees can be mistaken for spruce trees but even though their needles are similar in length and colour (blue green) the needles of fir trees are much softer. Rubbing ones hand down a twig of a fir tree is a much nicer experience than doing the same with a twig of a prickly spruce tree.

Subalpine fir needles have blunt ends that all tend to turn upwards. They have a white band on top and two white bands underneath.

The cones of a subalpine fir are purple. They grow upright near the top, of the tree. Unlike the cones of other conifers, fir cones disintegrate on the tree. I suppose that explains why I’ve never seen purple cones lying on the ground.

Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii

There are two types of Pseudotsuga menziesii, the variety menziesii or coastal fir, and the variety, glauca or interior fir.

It is not really a fir tree at all, that’s why its common name, Douglas-fir, is hyphenated. The common name is credited to the Scottish botanist who introduced many of British Columbia’s native conifers to Europe. Its botanical name, menziesii, was the name of the Scottish doctor/naturalist who first documented its existence on Vancouver island.

Needles of Douglas fir trees are flat with pointed tips. Their upper surface has a groove down the center and is bright, yellowish green in colour. The needles grow all around the twig.

Douglas-fir tree cones are initially green and as they mature they turn grey. Three pronged bracts are easily seen between each scale.

Book Review: High and Dry -Gardening With Cold Hardy Dryland Plants by Robert Nold

Robert Nold and I share the same philosophy about how to water the perennial garden, in one word - never. To clarify I water perennials to get them established. And the climate of my zone 3 garden in Northern BC is considerable different than the climate in Nolds garden in Denver Colorado. If my perennials are to tolerate a drought, it will last at most 2- 3 months, and that would be rare. Nold cautions that in his climate where drought is prolonged he loses plants.

In the first chapter Nold discusses basic topics like soil, garden planning, siting the garden, shade, pots, propagation and bugs. The last topic bugs is another point Nold and I agree on - not to do anything about them. Nold says if your prized plant is devastated by bugs them “grow something else”

Succeeding chapters discuss plants, perennials and annuals of each genus and the specific species of each that have proven hardy in his gardens. His extensive list covers grasses, bulbs, rock garden plants, cacti, yuccas, shrubs and trees. Many of the plant genus he talks about have species I grow in my garden.

One Genus of plants I want to experiment further with are the Penstemons. I already grow one tiny specimen that I need to ID.

His discussions are illustrated with many colour photos and exquisite drawings both the work of Cindy Nelson Nold.

I love this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in gardening.

Identifying Lodge Pole Pine, Pinus contorta var. latifolia

Pinus contorta var. latifolia, commonly known as lodgepole pine grows almost everywhere in British Columbia. It got its common name because the BC natives took advantage of its tall, straight trunk to build the skeletons of their massive lodges. I used to think It only liked dry, sandy soil but apparently lodgepole pine adapts to wet, boggy places too.

Leaves

Pine trees have longer needles than spruce trees. And their needles grow in bunches. The numbers of needles in the bunch and the length of the needles are factors that help identify the species. Lodgepole pines have needles that grow in bunches of two, see the photo I took of a pine tree in my garden.

The Mountain Pine Beetle

Older lodgepole pines are susceptible from attacks by the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae. The warmer winters we are having because of climate change, have enabled the MPB to multiply exponentially. The beetle has destroyed hectares of the lodgepole pine trees around Prince George. I wrote an article, on my other blog, about the MPB and BC’s pine trees. You can read it here.

Beetle Killed Pine lumber and Logs

Beetle killed pine is usually not noticed until its needles turn from green to rusty brown. Eventually the needles fall off and the wood starts to rot.A few years ago the logging industry went in to overdrive, in an attempt to harvest as many pine trees as it could, before they began to rot and lose their value. Beetle killed pine has a distinctive blue hue that has become a selling point for value added products produced with the wood. In 2006 we built our log house out of beetle killed pine. You can read the article I wrote for Northword magazine about our log house here.

Most of the pine trees are gone around Prince George although there are still isolated pockets of a few trees that escaped the beetle, especially younger ones.