TREES OF MOUNT RAINIER NAT'L PARK
Alpine Fir
(Abies lasiocarpa)
This tree is one of the four true firs in the Park. They are called
"true" firs to distinguish them from the Douglas Fir which in reality is
not a fir at all but a distinct tree in itself.
Three of these "true" firs grow at lower elevations but the Alpine
Fir, as its name implies, is an inhabitant of the high country, being
very prominent in Paradise Valley and other regions from about 5,000
feet to timberline. Here we find it growing in groups--rarely singly-as
if for mutual protection from the elements. It is exceedingly beautiful
for its form is long, compact and very symetrical. The branches,
heavily clothed with light green needles, droop slightly due to the
heavy snow that weights them down during the greater portion of the
year. This enables the tree to shed the snow much like the steep roofs
that are common on all the buildings in the Park.
The cones are very much smaller than the other firs, being little over
two inches long and before maturity of a deep purple color. As they
ripen, a process which takes two years, they turn brown, finally
disintegrating and scattering the seeds over the snow, leaving the
central core, spire-like on the branches.
