FOREST TREES AND FOREST SCENERY 



becomes rough and very thick ; and its 

 trunk develops into a tall, straight 

 shaft that bears a long, spiry crown of 

 striking symmetry, in which tier after 

 tier of branches rises to the narrowing 

 summit, ending some two or three hun- 

 dred feet in air. This is its aspect in 

 the favored regions of its growth, near 

 the shores of Puget Sound and in the 

 moist mountains of Washington and 

 Oregon, where it once formed forests 

 of extraordinary density and dark 

 grandeur, portions of which are still 

 preserved over this extensive territory. 

 Another important conifer is the 

 lowland fir of the Pacific coast. All 

 the silver firs, to which class this tree 

 belongs, have distinct features in their 

 foliage and a characteristic habit of 

 growth, a description of which may 

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