THE SPECIES. 



43 



The Douglas spruce is given to the formation of forests so dense 

 in places as to shut out all direct sunlight from the soil. The abun- 

 dant seeds produced by this species and the facility with which they 

 are scattered by the wind result in the rapid reforestation of cleared 

 land. The young trees come up in great numbers, sometimes in 

 impenetrable thickets, in which the gradual suppression of the weaker 

 members brings about in time a forest of tall, straight, and clear trees. 

 The large amount of waste which naturally accumulates upon the 

 ground and its resinous quality make fire risks imminent, and vast 

 areas of fine timber have thus been lost. This tree is found from 

 sea level in Oregon to altitudes of 5,000 feet or more in Montana, but 



FKJ. 25. Douglas Spruce. A, Cone; J>, loaf; C, bract and lower side of seed-bearing 



scale ; D, seed. 



is found only at altitudes of 8,000 or 9,000 feet in the southern limits 

 of its range. 



In habit this tree presents a straight central shaft and a crown 

 somewhat oval in outline except for the sharp point of the conical 

 top. The limbs droop, curving upward at the ends. The leaves are 

 about an inch in length, flat, blunt, and paler beneath. They arise 

 alternately on all sides of the smooth twigs. When the leaves fall 

 they usually leave small protuberances on the branch, as in the 

 hemlock; they fall less readily, however, in drying. The cones are 2 

 to 3 inches long, usually less than an inch in thickness, and have thin 

 scales, on the upper surface of each of which two seeds are normally 

 borne. One conspicuous and significant feature of the cones is in 

 the bracts, which are three-pointed and project prominently beyond 

 the end of the scale. This alone is sufficient to identify the tree in 

 this region. The cones hang downward on the branch, and open on 

 the tree to discharge the seeds. 



