Next to the spruces, the balsam fir is the most common of our softwoods, however, the balsam woolly aphid is rapidly killing off large areas. The tree is usually from 40 to 60 feet high and from 8 inches to 16 inches in diameter. The crown is slender and spire shaped. The branches, extending down to the ground in young trees, come out from the stem in regular whorls. The bark on all but the old trees is very thin, smooth, and conspicuously marked with raised blisters containing balsam. The tree is found in pure stands also mixed with white, red and black spruce, tamarack, aspens and white birch. It is found on a variety of sites but does best on a moist, well-drained loam.

Source: "Native Trees of Prince Edward Island and the more Common Woodland Shrubs". by J.F. Gaudet and W.M. Profitt Dept. of Agriculture. Charlottetown, PEI. 1958.

For more pictures and descriptions of this species, check out the Atlantic Forestry Centre, or the Iowa State University Dendrology page and the Dendrology at Virginia Tech Page and the Virtual Foliage Homepage. For a review of the ecology of this species, refer to the Silvics of North America and the The Natural History of the Northwoods.

In 1806, John Stewart wrote an excellent description of Forest Trees and Other Vegetable Productions on PEI at that time.