16 



FORESTS OF MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK. 



early in October. Like the seed of the other alpine species of trees 

 that grow in the cold and humid climate of the high Cascades, they 

 soon lose their vitality when stored in dry places. The amabilis fir 

 is grown in Europe as an ornamental tree. Under cultivation it loses 

 much of the natural grace and beauty which it acquired in adapting 

 itself to the deep snows and long winters of its native environment. 

 The bark is thin and the tree is easily killed by fire. The wood is 

 straw colored, compact, and straight grained. It is not strong and 



FIG. 10. The forests of western hemlock, amabilis fir, and other species, on the 

 middle slopes of the mountains, along the Crater Lake trail, Mount Rainier 

 National Park. 



Photograph by Geo. O. Ceasar. 



splits easily. It is sold to some extent under the name of larch or 

 mixed with inferior grades of fir and hemlock. The lumber is of little 

 value commercially. 



NOBLE FIR (ABIES NOBILIS). 



The noble fir (figs. 11 and 12) is a common mountain tree in the 

 western parts of Washington and Oregon. Like amabilis fir, it is 

 usually called larch by lumbermen. About Mount Rainier it grows 

 at elevations of from 3,500 to 5,000 feet in dense stands associated 



