Fir, Noble - - Abies procera

Fir, Noble - - Abies procera

The Noble fir is a large, narrow tree with a long, clear, columnar trunk and conical crown with short, nearly horizontal branches. Young trees have a conical habit. The bark is gray brown and smooth becoming dark gray, brown or red brown, slightly thickened and furrowed into irregular, long, scaly plates. Compared to other trees, the bark is thin. The needles are bluish-green with whitish lines, grooved above, ridged below, and spreading in two rows, The immature cones are green turning purple brown. The mature cones are big and heavy with sharp tipped papery bracts. The Noble fir grows best in full sun and deep, moist, well drained soil, but will grow on thin, rocky soils if moisture is not limited. It is intolerant of alkaline soils, windy conditions, and shade. The main root is slow growing, lateral roots develop rapidly.