Subalpine fir, also known as balsam or balsam fir, grows throughout British Columbia’s (B.C.) interior and is marketed with lodgepole pine and interior spruce as the spruce-pine-fir (SPF) species group.
A medium-sized tree that grows about 20 to 35 metres tall and usually found in mid to high elevations, subalpine fir wood is used for lumber, plywood, veneers, boxes and pulp.
Kiln-dried SPF lumber is used as a structural framing material in a wide variety of residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural applications.
Where it grows
Subalpine fir, also known as balsam or balsam fir, grows throughout most of the B.C. interior from mid to high elevations, as well as near sea level on the north coast.
It is most common in humid, continental boreal climates with a short growing season, grows less frequently in cool temperate climates, and is rare in warmer, drier climates.
It occasionally occurs in pure stands but is usually mixed with other species, principally Engelmann spruce and white spruce. Its high shade tolerance makes it a desirable component in mixed-species stands.
Identifiable characteristics
Subalpine fir is a medium-sized tree that is usually 20 to 35 metres tall and 30 centimetres in diameter, although it can occasionally reach a height of 50 metres. It has a low-taper stem and a narrow, dense, cylindrical crown of short, stiff, drooping branches. The greyish-brown bark breaks into irregular scales with age. They have a lifespan of about 120 to 140 years.
The needles have blunt ends and are often notched at the tip. They are blue-green with a single white band on the top and two beneath. The needles all tend to turn upwards, but a few often stick out from the underside of the branch. Seed cones are deep purple and grow upright at the top of the crown. Like the cones of the other firs, they disintegrate on the tree, leaving a central spike. Pollen cones are bluish.