Long considered an excellent Christmas tree because of its beauty, soft needles, stiff branches and long keepability, the species is growing in popularity. The Noble Fir (Abies procera) is a western North American fir, native to the Cascade Range and Coast Range mountains of extreme northwest California and western Oregon and Washington in the United States.

The branches of the Noble fir are evenly spaced and have needles that are roughly 4-sided (similar to spruce), over 1 inch long, bluish-green and are generally twisted upward so that the lower surface of branches are exposed.

Extensive efforts are made to produce a beautiful Christmas tree for the holiday season. Typically Noble firs are sheared or trimmed once a year but when there is a second growth another trim may be needed prior to being cut for the season. Much care is needed to make sure that there is a single straight top.

Nobles are fast becoming the most desired tree for the holidays and they come in two standard grades developed by the USDA. A USDA #1 Noble, can have one flaw such as an open space or a slightly crooked top. A USDA #2 Noble can have two flaws, however over the years science and experience has helped us to continually increase quality and grow more beautiful trees. The USDA grade is also used for all other Christmas trees in the industry.

The Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) has been the major Christmas tree species used in the Pacific Northwest since the 1920's. It is a wide ranging species that strangely enough is actually not related to the true firs. It grows throughout 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.

The branches are spreading to drooping and the buds are sharply pointed. The bark is very thick, fluted, ridged, rough and dark brown. Douglas firs are more dense than their counterpart firs. Their 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. The needles have a sweet fragrance when crushed.

Known as plantation trees, they are normally sheared once per year and will typically produce a marketable crop within 6 to over 8 years depending upon the site and growing area as well as the size desired. Referred to by the industry as Doug fir, they tend to grow a little faster than Noble fir and also tend to be easier to care for because of its ability to withstand more harsh growing conditions.

Nationally, it remains one of the most popular Christmas trees species. It is shipped to the majority of the states and Hawaii and is also exported to Mexico, Guam and some Asian markets.