This is an excerpt from the Book Called “NATIVE TREES FOR NORTH AMERICAN LANDSCAPES ” .Continue reading to learn more about Abies Balsamic Native Trees For North American Landscapes, thanks to the author.
Abies Balsamea
BALSAM FIR
DESCRIPTION: Balsam fir is one of the most cold-hardy and aromatic of all conifers. It thrives in cold, moist of climates throughout most of Canada, yet can be grown successfully down through the midlatitude United States in lows, Illinois, and eastward as far south as Virginia, from sea level up to the highest elevations that can support tree growth. Balsam fir, with its dense, pointed silhouette, is a common component of our boreal forests and has been named the arboreal emblem of New Brunswick.
The largest balsam on record in the United States is in a residential yard in Fairfield, Pennsylvania. It stands 100 feet (30 m) tall and almost 4 feet (1.2 m) in diameter and has a unique question mark top, developed as the terminal shoot aborted high in the tree a few years ago. Even larger specimens may exist in Canada, but most balsams are medium sized trees. Balsam fir often retains its attractive, dense habit and full, symmetrical, spire-shaped crown throughout its life.
LEAVES: Balsam needles are flattened and soft to the touch, less than 1 inch (2.5) long, dark green on top with contrasting lighter abaxial surfaces, and arranged in horizontal ranks ranks on the lateral branches. They are pleasantly aromatic when broken or scraped, making this tree a good selection for use in fragrance gardens. The persistent, user-friendly foliage and fragrance also make balsam fir a favorite Christmas tree.
CONES AND SEEDS: Staminate strobili sometimes show to advantage as they release their greenish yellow pollen. The female strobili, or cones, stand erect on the upper branches, about 3 inches (7.5 cm) long and sticky with resin. As in the case with other true firs, the cones disintegrate on the tree when ripe and don’t pose a significant litter problem. Many are opened by chickadees, crossbills, purple finches, and grosbeaks for the nutritious seeds they contain; others are gathered intact by squirrels, who take them away to secret places when they think you aren’t watching.
BEST SEASONS: WINTER (this is a classic evergreen that holds its rich green color well all winter). FALL (as an attractive foil for colorful maples and birches) and SPRING (the light green new growth contrasts well with mature foliage from the previous year). SUMMER (balsam is always good as a background plant or as an isolated specimen where an accent form is desired).
NATIVE AND ADAPTIVE RANGE: Balsam fir extends north in Canada to the Peace River in northern Alberta, around James Bay, and across to the coast of Labrador. It grows throughout much of northern North America, from northern Canada south into the Lake States and New England. It can be planted successfully from USDA zone 2 south, wherever summers are cool and moist. It does not perform well south of USDA zone 5 unless given a cool north-facing slope or a lakeshore site. Its natural range is a good indication of the area where it will thrive under cultivation without special attention.
CULTURE: Balsam can do well in shade or on seasonally we soil, which are conditions fatal to many other conifers. It prefers acidic, organic, friable soil that is kept cool and moist during the growing season. If possible, southern plantings should be located next to cool springs, caves, or other features that provide a cool microclimate, and kept away from hot masonry walls or air conditioner compressors that generate heat.
Balsam is very easy to transplant to establish. I once transplanted a 15-foot (4.5-m) tree by hand, with no reduction in growth rate beyond the first season. Where its requirements for a cool, moist environment can be met, balsam is also one of our most smog-tolerant conifers. It is very resistant to attack by Gypsy moths (Lymantria dispar), which frequently defoliate much of the surrounding forest in the East.
PROBLEMS: This tree can develop a ragged appearance with age, especially if planted too far south of its natural range, in areas with hot summers. It is among the most susceptible North American conifers to browsing and antler rubbing by deer and moose. Balsam fir is sensitive to air pollution in hot urban areas and to wind throw on exposed sites. It can be damaged or killed by heavy infestations of the spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) or the balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae), which was introduced into Maine from Europe in 1908. It can also be damaged by late spring freezes. In naturalized or wild stands, its low branches, abundant resin blisters, and thin bark make it very sensitive to wildfires.
CULTIVARS: No tree-sized cultivars are commonly available. Named globe and prostrate forms can be found n botanic gardens and dwarf conifer collections. Balsam is easy to graft, and attractive individuals can be propagated readily.
SIMILAR AND RELATED SPECIES: The Fraser fit (Abies fraseri) is confined in the wild to high altitudes in the Appalachian Mountains. Like balsam it is commonly planted at lower elevations for ornamental and Christmas tree Purposes. It is very similar to balsam but more southerly and alpine in distribution, with shorter, more contrasting, less aromatic foliage. It requires better drainage but is less susceptible to spring freeze damage. Fraser fir is becoming an endangered species in the mountains of its natural habitat due to mortality from acid rain and the woolly adelgid. A reported hybrid between the two species, called Canaan fir, is grown by Christmas tree growers. Some botanists classify Canaan fir as A. balsamea var. phanerolepsis.
Many beautiful firs can be found in the western states and provinces. Some selections of the white fir (Abies concolor) of the Rocky Mountains also grow well in the East. This tree is one of the most adaptable and forgiving of all firs regarding climate conditions, and it is one of the most striking, with its long blue-green foliage highlighted by bright blue-white new growth in spring. It tolerates hot summer better than any other hardy fir and even grows reasonably well in urban smog conditions and somewhat alkaline soil. The U.S. national champion, found in northern Utah, is 94 feet (28.2 m) tall. ‘Candicans’ has especially long, colorful needles and forms a narrowly upright tree.
Subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) and corkbark fir (A. lasiocarpa var. arizonica) are beautiful, spire-shaped western mountain trees but are best enjoyed in the wild because they are not fond of lower elevations. They are very tall and narrow in habit, the largest known example being 125 feet (37.5 m) tall with a wingspan of only26 feet (7.8 m). Several exotic fir species are also common in cultivation.
One dominant tree encountered in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and on up the slopes to fairly high elevations, is Douglasfir (pseudotsuga menziesii), specifically variety glauca. Douglasfir is not a true fir, and it has an interesting taxonomic history, having been bounced around from one genus to another before finally being given one of its own. It has unique cones with forked, snake-tongue-like bracts extending from each scale. Like white fir (Abies concolor), this tree adapts readily to planting far beyond the limits of its natural range and habitat as long as it has sun and good drainage, and it is widely cultivated. Only the Rocky Mountain variety should be used in our region because the larger, more vigorous coastal P. menziesii var. menziesii, the state tree of Oregon, and the rare, large-coned P. macrocarpa of southern California are not reliably hardy east of their native ranges. Pseudotsuga menziesii ‘Fastigiata’ is a narrow, upright cultivar, and ‘Glauca pendula’ and ‘Graceful Grace’ are weepers.
COMMENTS: Many of us can remember attaching cover slips to microscope slide in science class with a sticky, fragrant substance called Canada balsam. It was a natural product: the resin the balsam fir tree. Trimmings of balsam fir also make comfortable, fragrant beds, attractive holiday decorations, and great winter mulch for tender perennials.
Firs are important wildlife trees. My wife, Edie, and I once stood silently in a fir forest until the local red squirrels, emboldened by the quiet, began to bombard us with the cones they were harvesting for winter. The fragrant, flat boughs of balsam and Fraser firs also host a variety of rare mosses and liverworts and are preferred nesting sites for many birds.