Hunter Farms

Description:  In the wild, the trees are tall, beautifully symmetrical and could grow to over 200 feet in height. A young tree has smooth bark with resin blisters and with age changes to a brownish-gray color. Noble Fir needles are roughly 4-sided, typicaly over 1 inch long and have a bluish-green color on top of needle and a silver color on the under part of branches. The first Latin name was Abies nobilis, but had to be change because there was already another tree with that name.  The common name of Noble comes from this first Latin name.

Range: Nobles are native to northern California's Siskiyou Mountains and the Cascade and Costal ranges in Washington and Oregon.

Uses: Nobles have long been considered an excellent Christmas tree because of its stiff branches, classic beauty, and long keep ability. It is also used in wreaths, door swags, and many other Christmas products. Nobles are sometimes used for it lumber for its wood is moderately strong and light weight.

Description: Colorado blue spruce, or blue spruce, is an attractive tree often used for Christmas trees or as ornamentals, particularly in the eastern United States and Europe.  The species generally reaches a height of 65-115. It has a narrow pyramidal shape. Their needles are 4-sided and have a very sharp point on the end. It is this point which gives the species its name "pungens", from the Latin word for sharp as in puncture wound. Needles are generally dull bluish-gray to silvery blue and emit a resinous odor when crushed. Blue spruce is moderately shade tolerant and grows best in deep, rich, gravely soils, often along stream banks and other sites with high moisture levels.  A deep penetrating root system makes the species resistant to being blown over.

Range: Blue spruce occurs naturally from western Wyoming and eastern Idaho southward through central Colorado and Central Utah. The southern limits are New Mexico and Arizona. It occurs at elevations of 6,000 to 11,000 feet; generally at higher elevations in the more southern areas.

Uses: Blue spruce is finding increasing popularity as a Christmas tree as a result of its symmetrical form and attractive blue foliage. The species has an excellent natural shape and requires little shearing. Additionally, needle retention is among the best for the spruces. Its popularity as an ornamental leads many consumers to use blue spruce as a living Christmas tree, to be planted after the holiday season.

The wood is light to pale brown in color and is lightweight, soft, and brittle. The lack of natural pruning leads to boards often being full of knots. Blue spruce grows in relatively inaccessible locations leading to its not being commercially important as a timber species. The wood is suitable, however, for posts, poles, and fuel. Blue spruce has limited value to wildlife but does provide cover and seeds for squirrels, rodents and some birds. In the western

History:  Norway spruce are commonly planted in the Western Hemisphere even though they are not native to this area. They were first used as ornamental trees, and then recently became Christmas trees.

Description: Height up to 130 feet in the US. Norway spruce's have dark green needles and a triangular shape. Their needles are 4 sided, giving them a sharp or blunted tip feel.  They are a slow growing tree it takes 8 to 11 years to have a 6 to 7 foot tree.

Range: Norway spruce has a rather extensive range. Norway's are adapted to cool, temperate climates, grow best in full sun, in deep, rich, moist soil and are generally shallow-rooted.  It is a cool climate species and is found at elevations of 3,300 feet to 7,500 feet.

Uses: Norway Spruce overall color makes them a beautiful Christmas tree, but don't have the best needle retention (unless properly cared for). The wood is strong for its weight, odorless, but slightly resinous and is of importance in the manufacture of pulp and paper. Resinous bark exudations furnish what is known as "Burgundy pitch" which is the basic material for a number of varnishes and medicinal materials. New leafy shoots can be used for brewing spruce beer, although Norway spruce is not as desirable as black or red spruce. The wood has also been used for violin sound boards, but is not the preferred choice.

Description:  The grand fir is one of the tallest firs, reaching heights of 300 feet.
It is easily distinguished from other Pacific Northwest firs by its sprays of lustrous needles. They are usually horizontally spread so that both the upper and lower sides of the branches are clearly visible. The needles are 1 to 1 1/2 inches long with  glossy dark green tops and white on the undersides. The bark is grayish-brown, which becomes rigid and scaly with age. Like most other true firs, it is thinned barked and therefore very sensitive to fire.

Range: Grand firs grow from British Columbia inland to Montana and into north California. It likes dry to moist forests in rain shadow areas. Commonly found from river flats to fairly dry slopes up to middle elevations.

Uses: Grand Firs are a minor Christmas tree in Washingtonand Oregon, but a major one in Idaho and Montana.

Description: Fraser fir and Balsam fir are very similar, one main difference is the geographic ranges. Some scientist think they they may have once been a single species.  Fraser Fir are a uniformly pyramid shaped tree with a maximum height of 80 feet.  Fraser's have strong branches which turn upward giving a compact appearance. There needles are a flattened, dark-green with a groove on the upper side, and a silvery-white coloring on underside. The bark is usually a gray to gray-brown color, in the younger trees the are many resin blisters and as it becomes older it becomes more papery like scales. The needle retention, and dark blue-green color along with plesant scent and easy transport makes Fraser Fir trees one of the most popular Christmas trees. On average it takes 7 to 10 years for tree growers to produce a 6 to 7 foot tree.

Range: Fraser Fir have a somewhat restricted range.  They like acidic, rocky soil.  They only grow naturally at elevations above 4,500 ft in southwest Virginia to western North Carolina and into eastern Tennessee.

Uses: Christmas trees is its primary use, but can also be used for pulp wood, light frame construction, knotty interior paneling, crates, and also for bed stuffing.

Description: Douglas-fir is not related to the true firs. This wide ranging species grows from 70 to 250 feet tall. The branches are spreading to drooping, the buds sharply pointed and the bark is very thick, fluted, ridged, rough and dark brown. The needles are dark green or blue green, 1 to 1 1/2 inches long, soft to the touch and radiate out in all directions from the branch. They have a sweet fragrance when crushed. Pollen strobili are small and reddish-brown. Young cones are small, oval shaped and hang downward. They are reddish-brown to gray, 3" long and do not dissipate to spread seed as do true firs (Abies sp.). The cones open in the late summer to disperse the seeds and will continue to hang on the trees through the fall.

Range: The entire range includes central California, western Oregon and Washington, parts of the Rockies and extends north to Alaska. It grows under a wide variety of environments from extremely dry, low elevation sites to moist sites.

Uses: The Douglas-fir has been the major Christmas tree species used in the Pacific Northwest since the 1920's. Nationally, it remains one of the most popular Christmas trees species. It is shipped to the majority of the states and is also exported to the Hawaiian Islands, Guam and some Asian markets.