Fir (original) (raw)
- MLA 8TH EDITION
- Owens, John N.. "Fir". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 16 December 2013, Historica Canada. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fir. Accessed 22 October 2024.
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- APA 6TH EDITION
- Owens, J. (2013). Fir. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fir
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- CHICAGO 17TH EDITION
- Owens, John N.. "Fir." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Article published November 23, 2011; Last Edited December 16, 2013.
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- TURABIAN 8TH EDITION
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, s.v. "Fir," by John N. Owens, Accessed October 22, 2024, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fir
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Published Online November 23, 2011
Last Edited December 16, 2013
Fir, Scandinavian for "pine," designates the "true" firs, which are evergreen conifers (genus Abies) of the pine family (Pinaceae). About 50 species occur worldwide, all in the Northern Hemisphere; 4 are native to Canada. Balsam fir (A. balsamea) occurs from Alberta to the Atlantic Provinces.
Fir
Fir, Scandinavian for "pine," designates the "true" firs, which are evergreen conifers (genus Abies) of the pine family (Pinaceae). About 50 species occur worldwide, all in the Northern Hemisphere; 4 are native to Canada. Balsam fir (A. balsamea) occurs from Alberta to the Atlantic Provinces. Alpine fir (A. lasiocarpa) grows at high elevations in the West, from Alaska to Mexico. Pacific silver fir (A. amabilis) and grand fir (A. grandis) grow along the BC, Washington and Oregon coasts. Three introduced species (white, shasta and Spanish firs) are planted as ornamentals.
Firs have single straight trunks and narrow pyramidal crowns. Branches are regularly whorled; leaves are flat and needlelike. Cones are erect and usually restricted to upper branches. Pollination occurs in spring; seeds are mature in the fall. The bracts (modified leaves) and scales (ovule-bearing structures) are shed from the cone axis with the winged seeds.
Firs are stately trees, making them popular as Christmas trees. The first Christmas tree in North America was a fir lit with candles and gracing the dining room of the baroness Friederike von Riedesel in Sorel (now Sorel-Tracy), Québec, in 1781. The relatively light, soft, weak wood is used extensively for pulp, paper and lumber.