I LIKE Douglas firs — really. I have nothing against these shabby imitations of the real thing, but if you must have a fir, get a real one. Now let’s not have the animal activists writing me nasty notes. I said fir not fur. I agree with the stand against leg-hold traps and must admit to a bias against folks who like to weer the skin of dead animals. If they wore a little meat in memoriam once a year, 1 would at least feel they were conscious of what they were doing. But I digress (as usual); the topic at hand is the discussion of the members of the abjes family of coniferous evergreens — true firs, not their poor relatives, the com- monly seen and commonly planted Douglas fir (pscudotsuga men- ziesii). There are two varieties of true fir found as natives on the North Shore. The Grand fir (abfes grandis) is found at the lower elevations of drier coastal areas such as those found in West Vancouver. This beauty can reach heights of 300 feet or more, although taking a considerable length of time (cen- turies) to do so. Its large, flat nee- dies are a very dark green on top with silvery stripes below. None of the true firs are difficult to garden under because they do not suppress competitive undergrowth as many other coni- fers do. If you simply limb the branches high to allow sufficient light, you will find it easy to grow those plants that prefer light shade. . Consider yourself fortunate if you have a Grand fir on the prop- erty: there are not that many around. In addition to its character and statuesque appearance, a Grand fir can provide a wonderful harvest of extra special evergreen boughs at Christmas. They contain large over the garden gate Geoff Tobiasson amounts of resin the fragrance of which reminds me of mandarin oranges. The other fir native to our area is the Cascade fir (ab:zs amabilis). It is found in the higher regions of our local North Shore moun- tains. This medjum/tall form has a bluish cast and narrow profile in the wild. 309. Kennard Ave. Ne \ fan. * (t block. west.of Park & Tilford) ; » 985-1341 -. FLAT SLICED OAK 114” 24° FLAT SLICED SHEET 118”° 19? sce PAINTED BOARD 1 SIDE 118 10° 4x8" PAINTED SHEET BOA +i 23°2 9 112” 4x8" SHEET 5/8" SHEET In cultivation at lower altitudes, this variety, as with other alpine forms, will take up much more space than it would use in its natu- ral environment. My guess is we do not have the snow loads to weigh the branches down, thereby en- couraging that attractive, slender shape. Ancther alpine form found near the tree-line of high mountainous regions such as those around the Whistler and Pemberton areas is aptly named Alpine fir (abies lasiocarpa). They share the bluish color and spire-like shape of a. amabilis. I have frequently seen these plants grown as bonsai. Most have been collected (with permission) from the very top of the tree-line, where, in near Arctic conditions, severe cold and limited nutrient resources stunt the trees to the point where 30-year-old trees are no more than 18 inches high. There are many more members of this ‘true’ fir family worth look- ing for. One of my favorites is the Korean fir (abies koreana). Its very structured, multi-tiered habit and slow growth make it a natural candidate for the home garden. Another notable variety is the White fir (abies concolor). Even though it is a native to the drier sections of the mountains of southern Oregon and California, transplanted specimens will do See Abies Page 12 OSTER PARADE FRAME YOUR OWN POSTER 11 - Friday, July 14, 1989 - Maximum size 24x36 North Shore News LIFESTYLES THE NEWEST growth < of the White fir holds its silver/white color for months. 6 PANEL STEEL : COLONIST STYLE or 60 united inches ENTRY BOOR | INTERIOR #2 “raninur aiale 3'0" door only 99 PREHUNG ma, 9° “ 95 ‘ . . . 30" prenung h 9D 24. 26, 26 Quality Metal Frame Glass & Backing Easy te Assemble Top quality materia & Regis’ unique easy- to-foilow instruction sheet makes assembly a breeze. Regular® 2mm float glass. Heavy duty corrugate backing. *Non-glare glass also available add $15 Select either “Brass or Silver” in our most popular profile Precision mitres, custom cut by our expert craftsman. CIRCULAR 2, 70" || SAW BLADE | feng. MITERSAW for cutti Mooet Cu UWUES Corpide tip neat & ahorinen, (other colours are $7.50 & $10 extra) Oversize $20 Or we assemble for you — $10 Miter cuts up to 45° Oversize $15 right of left. M ti ounting Vacuum mounted on heavy-weight millboard to stop those wrinkles you see on cheap framing jobs. PICTURES & FRA West Vancouver 1432 Marine Drive 922-3513 Downtown 1168 Robson Street 669-5721 gg” We BIRCH 45” oa 44” MAPLE 45° sit: %4” PINE SHOP 59% eit ‘279°%3.. WASH SHOP 69° ota | 34" TEAK L.C. 99% si 3/4 WALNUT SHOP 79°