PlantFiles: Colorado Fir, Concolor Fir, White Fir, Silver Fir, Balsam Fir, White Balsam
Abies concolor

This fir tree gets about 150 ft. tall with the trunk getting to 3.5 ft. thick. The thick bark is deeply furrowed and dark gray. The cones grow upright in the top part of the tree, are about 5" long and grayish green. They stay in the tree after releasing the seeds. The flat needles spread out, are curved upward, are silverish or pale blue-green and get to about3" long. It grows in Spruce-fir and Ponderosa forests at about 5500-9000 ft. elevation. The young trees grow into the shape of a pyramid if not inhibited by other plants surrounding it. The cones grow on the lower branches in early summer and springtime and with the help of the wind, pollenate the female cones in the top of the tree. The porcupines chew on the bark and the seeds get eaten by mammals and birds. Amongst other places in Arizona, this tree can be found in the Black Canyon Lake vicinity.
It is native to AZ, CA, CO, ID, MA, ME, NM, NV, OR, UT & WY in the USA.

perfect for full sun and loamy soil. grows about as fast, or faster than, red pine. branches all the way to the ground if given space. needles smell like tangerines (taste not as sweet). has a long taproot, so it is very drough tollerant and difficult to uproot in high winds. best fir for zones 5-7 but cold tollerant down to zone 3. better choice than some of the pines and spruces for landscape use due to dense form and extreme weather tolerance. will not like shale or heavy clay soil and does not like wet feet.

This beautiful tree grows on several San Diego County, California, peaks at around 6,000 feet elevation. It is the classic christmas tree, but of course, cannot be collected from our national forests or state parks.
Unfortunately, many fine specimens were burned in the fires of 2003.
WalterT

White Fir (Abies concolor) is not at its best where the summer temperatures commonly range above 100 degrees F. It grows very slowly. It is called White Fir because of its white bark.