Douglas Fir Identification - More than Just a Christmas Tree; It's Edible and Medicinal!
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- Опубликовано: 5 дек 2020
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Douglas-Fir - Pseudotsuga menziesii
There are two varieties of Douglas Fir that I describe in this video. Interior Douglas-Fir and Coastal Douglas Fir. Both can be found in western North America and throughout the Pacific Northwest. They are often used as Christmas trees, and they are also edible and medicinal!
Interior Douglas-Fir - Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca
This tree is also known as the Rocky Mountain Douglas Fir. It can be found from the Interior of BC and southwestern Alberta and as far south as the Mexican border in the United States. This variety has cones that are up to 8 cm long, and the needles are bluish-green or lighter in colour than the coastal variety.
Coastal Douglas-Fir - Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
This tree is also known as the Oregon Pine and the Columbian Pine. It is found from west-southern BC south to California west of the Cascade Mountains. Its cones are slightly loner, up to 10 cm, and the needles are deep green in colour.
Description and Identification
Douglas Fir is a large conifer that is typically 25 to 35 metres tall but can be as tall as 80 metres with a trunk diameter up to 1 m. Douglas-fir is widely used for commercial purposes.
Although called a fir, it is not a true fir hence the hyphenated name. It dominates forests from BC to California and can be found in dry to moist mixed-conifer forests from sea-level to middle elevations.
Fire suppression has led to its range expanding, and in many places it outcompetes less shade tolerant native trees like the Ponderosa Pine.
Douglas Fir can be identified by looking at the cones. The cones have distinct three-prong bracts that extend beyond the scales and resemble the back end of a mouse. Another feature to help identify Douglas-Fir is the needles are soft to the touch. This is in comparison to some other trees such as spruces which have needles that are much sharper to the touch.
Food
The soft inner bard can be used as a survival food. Young twigs and needles can be eaten or used to make a tea. They are a source of vitamin C. In certain conditions, like some hot sunny days, white crystals of sugar can appear on the needle tips. This can be used as a sweeter. Interior Salish people called this tree breast milk.
Medicine
Dried sap was chewed to relieve cold symptoms. Pitch, a secretion from the tree that is a consistency similar to dry honey, can be used on cuts, boils, sores, and other skin problems to aid healing and prevent infections. The bark can be used to make a tea to stop intestinal bleeding and relieve diarrhea.
I think Douglas-Fir is a beautiful tree that is potentially both edible and medicinal. When you go looking for a Christmas tree, I hope you will think of some of the other uses for this tree!
Please consume wild plants at your own risk! Consult multiple reliable sources before consuming any wild plants! This video is for information and entertainment only!
References
Kloos, Scott (2017)
Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants. Timber Press, Inc.
MacKinnon, A. Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada. Lone Pine Media Productions (BC) Ltd. 2014.
Parish, R.; Coupe, R.; and Lloyd, D. Plants of the Inland Northwest and Southern Interior British Columbia. BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. 2018 
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I live in the pacific northwest rainforest and have tried all the safe edible conifers. In my opinion, the douglas fir makes the most aromatic & delicious tea and syrup... With spruce coming in at a close second.
Thank you! I definitely like the smell of Douglas fir a lot!
Didnt know the bark was so great many thanks!
You're welcome! Thank you, too!
Very cool info! Thanks for putting this fun and educational video together!
You're welcome! Thank you, too!
We have lots of Douglas Fir in NW Montana also, around Flathead Lake area.
I think you aren't very far away from where I am! The climate us probably very similar.
Appreciated the extra humour, it was "intense". It is a great series, good installment. Print off your harvest license for your managment zone and harvest your tree without cost from crown land in the Okanagan.
Thank you! That's how we will be getting our tree!
Can’t wait to see what our Christmas Tree from the woods looks like. Hopefully you don’t take bites out of it!
I don't think I will. It didn't taste very good this time of year, but maybe I will decide when I see it!
Great stuff, I'm trying to learn all about edibles/medicinals in BC can't seem to find any good/old books with pictures but no luck. 🌲🌿🌱🌾🍀
Thank you! Are you specifically looking for old books? I can recommend some newer ones that I like if you are interested!
To elaborate, the inner bark layer you would be eating is the cambium.. the needles also provide beta carotene which your body then converts to vitamin A when injesting as a tea..
Thank you! That is great information!
You're welcome keep up the good work.
Thanks for sharing this! I have a new found appreciation and interest in evergreen trees since i discovered essential oils. I am now obsessed with evergreen oils and douglas fir is a favorite.
Do you happen to know if Siberian fir grows in North America, or are they only found in Russia/Asia?
Thanks for watching! It might be here, but I haven't seen it that I'm aware of. I would think if it's here, it would be an escape from somebody's yard or something. Sorry, I don't know!
Onward!
Onward indeed! Thank you!
I eat the sap.
Oh, cool! Thank you!
Thanks, that was interesting. I switched on cc, and I noticed an awfull lot of "uh" in this recording. Just check it out, and maybe eliminate them from your vocabulary?
Thank you for watching and commenting! That is helpful feedback! I will try to pay attention to that for the next video.
@@OkanaganGardenerandForager I used to do a LOT of public speaking, and I had to curb my habit of using those filler noises myself :) I'm looking forward to a new, fresh, uh and um free video :)
Hopefully I did better in the most recent one! Thanks again!
Norwaysprucetrees
Is that what you call them?