Coast Douglas-fir
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| Coast Douglas-fir |
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| Scientific Classification |
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| Subtaxa / Binomial Name |
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Pseudotsuga menziesii |
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The Coast Douglas-fir is a species of gymnosperm found predominantly along the Pacific coast of USA. It is a member of the Douglas-fir genus (Pseudotsuga) with the species name Pseudotsuga menziesii.
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History
The first time these plants were mentioned was in 1778, when British explorer James Cook came upon Nootka on Vancouver Island. The masts of his ships were rotting from the long voyage and he needed new ones. The Coast Douglas-fir was perfect because of how straight it was, it’s size, and it’s strength. Never before had people been able to make a mast out of just one tree, in the past, they didn’t have the right size of tree to make a mast out of just one so they had to splice two together. The tree is named after a young adventurous Scotsman David Douglas, who went around exploring much of what is now Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia in the early 19th century. His remarks about the Coast Douglas-fir were the following:” tree remarkably tall, unusually straight, having the pyramid form- one of the truly graceful objects in nature."(Lyons, page 19)
Anatomy
The Douglas-fir can get up to over 300 feet tall and be 15 feet in diameter. The largest Douglas-fir in the country can be found in Oregon, it is 329 feet tall. The Douglas-firs that are the tallest are estimated to be over 1000 years old. The Douglas-fir can often be free of branches for more than about 1/3 of its length. When the tree is young it will have a smooth texture, and a grayish color. When the tree becomes older, the texture of the tree will be broken into plates running length wise of the tree, the color of the tree will change from the grayish color when it was young to a reddish color. On some of the very old Douglas-firs, the bark can grow up to 12 inches thick.[1] The needles on the Douglas fir are flat, a yellow green and are 2-3 centimeters in length. The cones of the Douglas-fir are green, 5-10 centimeters long when they are young. As the cones mature they turn reddish-brown to a grey. It has thin papery scales, its bracts are usually 3 forked.[pojar. page 32]
Reproduction
The mature female cones are about 5-11 centimenters long. The male cones are approximatly 2-3 centimenters long. The male cones produce pollen in the spring. The tree will begin to produce a significant about of seeds when it is about 25-30 years old. The Douglas-fir has a irregular cycle of seed production. In the average cone, there are anywhere from 25-50 seeds. In a period of time that usually last about 5-7 years, the tree usually has a few of small to medium crop, one very large crop and one complete crop failure.[2]
Ecology
The coastal douglas-fir grows in just about every forest in the pacific Northwest, this is one of the features that make it the most dominant tree of the pacific Northwest.[3] It grows from British Columbia down to central California.[4] It grows in moist, mild climates. It is also a very fast growing tree, it grows much faster than it's cousins the Grand Fir, Coast Redwood, Western Redcedar, California Incense-cedar, Lawson's Cypress, Tanoak, Bigleaf Maple, Sitka Spruce, Sugar Pine, Western White Pine, Ponderosa Pine, and many others alike. If the coast Douglas fir is growing in a very moist environment, it is almost always covered in moss and liken.[5]
Human Uses
The coast Douglas-Fir is used for many things. It is a very strong and durable wood. It is resistant to rot; it does not warp, and has the best strength to weight ratio than any other tree in America. Another advantage is that because of its great size, it is possible to get very large boards or beams that do not have any major defects or knots. Because it is so strong and beautiful, plus the fact that it does not warp it is often used in construction.[6] In construction it is used for a large array of things. It is used for trusses on ceilings, and is used in structural-glued lumber products. It is used as stock for laminated beams. It is used for this because apart from being very structurally strong, it is also a very beautiful wood. These laminated beams of Douglas fir are used allot when large structural beams need to be used in places like churches. These beams are also used in stadiums and bridges. The lumber from the coast Douglas-fir is also used in the construction of sub flooring and structural flooring. Contractors also use the wood for interior/exterior trim, and finish board materials. The features that make the Douglas-fir so good for construction makes it perfect for the casings in doorways and windows, also for millwork, mantels, and also stairs and baseboards. Because of its amazing visual quality, it is perfect for being used in paneling, cabinets and furniture.[7]The native Americans used these trees for fire wood, spears, shafts for harpoons, and fish hooks. They used its pitch as a salve and were used in their canoes. In more recent times, the Douglas-fir has been used in plantation forestry in Europe, mostly in France and Germany were now millions of grow. [Lyons, page 19]
Gallery
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References
- Lyons, Chess. Trees & Shrubs of Washington. Lone Pine publishing, 1999
- Pseudotsuga menziesii Floridata
- Coast Douglas-fir Wikipedia
- Douglas Fir & Western Larch Western Wood Products Association.
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