Tree of Merit: Concolor Fir
(Abies concolor)
By Jean Zimmerman
Consulting Arborist for SavATree and MFI Graduate
Some might see the concolor fir or
white fir (Abies concolor) only as the perfect
holiday tree. The soft silvery needles, the
graceful form, and perhaps more than any-
thing its scent, redolent of tangerines—all
create a specimen that begs to be set up in
a corner of the living room, bestrewn with
decorations, with gaily wrapped gifts under-
neath. We've had one for many years during
the holidays and it always brings pleasure.
At the cut-your-own tree farm we patronize,
the saw-bearing hordes descend upon the
generous grove of concolors, and a tree-
toting worker told me it is in popularity
second only to the Fraser fir (A. fraseri).
President of the New York State Urban Forestry
Council Karen Emmerich of Emmerich Tree
Farm said, "We sold a lot of concolors last
holiday season, and they have grown in popu-
larity over the years. More and more growers
are planting them. They don't have the disease
issues that blue spruces have, and they have
that lovely bluish tint to their needles. The
upper branches don't shade the lower branches
(causing them to develop that scraggly look)
like the spruces. My husband Kurt calls them
'ugly ducklings,' because when they are young
they are kind of goofy looking, but after five
or six years they really start to look great."
Now take a look beyond the holiday season.
Concolor is a fir that can be enjoyed on your
property spring, summer, and fall as well as
when snow sparkles on the ground. In 1953, nat-
uralist Donald Peattie recognized the beauty and
adaptability of the concolor and predicted that
its future "lies in its value as an ornamental." >>
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Closeup of concolor fir needles. Photo by Andy Hillman
Concolor fir in the nursery. Photo by Jean Zimmerman
