Douglas Fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Learn more about the Douglas Fir including when and why it was planted, how to identify it, and where to find it on campus.
Tree Facts
Traits
- Single needles that are between 3/4 and 1 and 1/4 inches long attached around all sides of the branches
- Cones with two additional appendages coming from each scale
- Thick, layered, scaly bark
- Susceptible to the woolly conifer aphid, wool borers, beetles, weevils, and laminar root rot
Native Range
- Northwestern United States
- Southwest Canada
- Rocky Mountains
Story of the Tree
Several Douglas fir trees on our grounds predate the construction of the current Capitol Campus. Their colossal dark trunks stand out against the light color of the buildings around them. For example, a large one stands between the Cherberg and Newhouse buildings.
Washington's nickname as the Evergreen State came from the Douglas firs growing all over our state, covering millions of square miles in the hillsides and valleys of the Pacific Northwest. čəbidac is the Lushootseed Native American name for this tree.
Europeans first discovered Douglas fir trees on Vancouver Island. Archibald Menzies saw them in 1792, and later, botanist David Douglas also studied them. The tree is named after Douglas, who brought the seeds to England for cultivation in 1827.
The tallest Douglas fir in Washington is in Olympic National Park and measures 326 feet tall.
