Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum

Scientific name: Pseudotsuga menziesii

Common name: Douglas-fir

Native: Yes

Native range: Native to western North America, from as north as British Columbia to as south as central Mexico [1,2,3,4].

Distribution in North America: Click to view the USDA Plants Database page for P. menziesii.

USDA Zones: 5-6 [3]

Maximum age: May live up to 1400 years [4].

Ecology: The tree hosts a variety of native insects and provides important forage for birds, small mammals, deer, elk, and beavers [1,2,4]. Bear eat the sapwood and inner bark [1]. Its foliage also hosts a variety of native moth species [6].

Ethnobotany: Douglas-fir makes a desirable Christmas tree and is often farmed for this purpose [1,2,4]. It is also an important source of lumber and wood pulp, and it was widely use in the expansion of railways and telephone lines into the Western United States [1,2]. Various Indigenous American groups use the tree for ceremonial, culinary, and medicinal purposes, and as a source of fuel and building materials [5].