Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea)

Form

Medium size, attaining heights of 40 to 60 feet and diameter of 1 to 2 feet; short-spreading branches form a handsome, symmetrical, spire-like crown.

Bark

Thin, smooth, grayish, prominently marked by blisters filled with resin or balsam pitch.

Leaf

Needle-like, stalkless and flat; length 1/2 to 1 inch with rounded point, dark green and lustrous above and silvery white bands beneath; twisted; 2-ranked arrangement on twig; resinous and fragrant.

Fruit

Cones upright on branches, purple, oblong; length 2 to 4 inches; becomes mature in first year; seeds when ripe fall together with scales of cone, leaving hard central axis standing upright on branch like a spike.

Range

Found in forests of the northern half of Wisconsin; usually in association with white spruce from which it can easily be distinguished by its large upright cones and soft leaves; thrives in cool, moist, or shaded places.

Wood

Light brown, soft, not strong or durable; coarse grained; is used mainly for paper pulp; also an important Christmas tree. The oleoresin from the pitch blisters on the bark is "Canada Balsam," much used in optical instruments, microscopic slides, etc. as a transparent cement for glass.

Notes

2 serious insect pests occur on balsam fir: the spruce budworm and balsam woody aphid.