One of CLC Tree Services most popular blog posts from last year—in fact our most popular post ever—is 5 Facts About Fir Trees. It has had over 7000 views, 4000 of which occurred last year alone. This popular post averaged 11 views a day in 2015 and when you search ‘fir trees’ on google, it comes up on page 1 of over 28.5 million hits.
That’s a lot of people interested in the Abies genus.
What makes fir trees so popular? With Christmas a recent memory, the fir tree’s use as a Christmas tree explains some of its popularity at year-end, but people search for info on it all year long. Of course they also give one a boost just by getting a whiff of them, be it a live tree or via aromatherapy. Their flat, flexible and aromatic needles enchant any who brush against them, without the hard prickle from the similar spruce tree. With cold season here, I can see plenty of people looking for any help they can get in the struggle to recover from nasty cold symptoms.
Not just humans like the Pinaceae family though. Fir trees make for good shelters from the elements for birds, insects and other mammals, like moose, deer, mice, squirrels, porcupines, and many others. They also offer a food source via bark, seeds, needles and twigs.
For that matter, the needles from balsam firs make for a good tea for people too. Boil your water, add your needles, and presto you’ve got a warm drink that has vitamin C, B1, B2, B3, calcium, iron, and a whole host of other nutrients to help ward off sore throats, chest complaints, and other ailments. In an emergency, you can also dry the cambium (inner bark) and turn it into a flour which will sustain you, even if the taste leaves a little to be desired.
**Remember to positively identify your tree before trying any tree remedies!
First Nations people also prized fir trees for its sticky sap. The resin is perfect to seal and waterproof canoes. When mosquitoes are buzzing, dab a little resin on your bites to take the itch out with its antiseptic, analgesic and antibacterial properties. Just don’t sit on it or you’ll be struggling to get it out of your clothes (or hair) for ages.
For every benefit and perk of fir trees, sometimes they still have to come down though. When they reach their upper heights, this makes it more challenging for the arborist who is asked to tackle the job of removing it. Not impossible though. We don’t often get to take down fir trees of this height at CLC Tree Services, but Climbing Arborist tackles the job like a pro.
