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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