A Noble fir Christmas tree is an evergreen tree in the True Fir family with gray green needles that often appear silver. It has long been considered an excellent Christmas tree because of its beauty, stiff branches and long needle retention, and is rapidly growing in popularity. The needles are generally twisted upward so that the lower, lighter colored, surface of the branch is exposed. The tree has a rounded crown and symmetrical shape. The needles grow to about 1½ inches. A cultured Noble fir Christmas tree is dense and grows slower than most other varieties.

Reasons for noble fir popularity include:

• Beautiful Shape
• Fragrance
• Symmetry
• Superior Needle Retention
• Its Durability

A Douglas fir Christmas tree is an evergreen tree with a pyramid shaped crown and blue green needles ¾ inch to 1½ inches long. It is our most popular Christmas tree and western Oregon’s predominant tree species. It is the most dominant species in the reforested areas of our farm and left to grow can attain heights of up to 300′ and live to be over 500 years old. Its thick bark helps it to survive forest fires. It is also used widely in construction for plywood veneers, cabinets, flooring and framing.
As a Christmas tree, its natural pyramid shape is enhanced each year through careful pruning and shearing. Limbs on the lower 6-8 inches of the tree are removed to allow easy entry into your tree stand. After being cut, the average life of a Douglas fir Christmas tree is 3-4 weeks.
One of the knocks on the the Douglas fir is that it may be difficult to decorate if the branches have been sheared into a perfect conical shape, leaving too little space between branches to hang decorations.

Reasons for Douglas Fir popularity include:

• It is our most economical tree
• Long blue-green soft needles and sweet fragrance
• It holds up well during handling and shipping
• Plantation trees have excellent symmetry and density
• Display is gorgeous
• Douglas fir is Oregon’s state tree

Grand fir Christmas trees are often chosen because of their unique beauty and absolutely wonderful scent. They are beautiful, thick foliaged trees that attain their shape early and have lustrous, shiny, dark green needles. The needles are blunt and notched on the end with two white bands on the lower surface. This gives the tree a “silvery” appearance. The needles spread horizontally in 2 distinct rows and are 1-1/4 to 2 inches long. The branches appear flattened because of their arrangement on the twigs. They are known to be very tolerant of cold temperatures, however, as is the case with our other tree species, they will not survive long if they are frozen after they have been cut.

Grand fir are cultured annually and will last 3-4 weeks with proper care after being harvested.

Nordmann fir Christmas trees have dark green glossy needles and dense foliage. They are  native to Northern Turkey and the Republic of Georgia and can withstand temperatures as low as 40 degrees C. The Republic of Georgia seeds produce a fuller tree darker in color with a heavier leaf. The Nordmann fir has excellent needle retention qualities and is quickly becoming known as one of the “Hoover friendly” trees. We think it makes an excellent addition to our product list.

These trees can be compared to the Noble fir but are not quite as symmetrical and tend to have a little more character. They can take as long as 10 years to grow.