Size

• The giant size of the Douglas fir in the wild helped give it the reputation as a premiere lumber species, since in a natural setting, the tree approaches 300 feet in height on occasion. The cultivated versions are a fraction of that immense size, with most in the range of 50 to 80 feet tall. The tree is narrow. It features a width of 15 to 20 feet that gives it a conical appearance.
  
  

Needles

• The needles of the Douglas fir, dark green with a white band running along the undersides, are up to 1 1/2 inches in length. The needles are flat and attach to the twigs in a spiral pattern. If a needle falls or if you pull one out, it leaves behind a round, raised scar on the twig. An aroma is present after crushing the needles. Each year, the older needles drop from a Douglas fir, collecting beneath the tree.
  
  

Cones

• The cones on a Douglas fir are oval and they hang down from the branches, as opposed to cones on true fir trees, which grow upright on the limbs. These cones are up to 4 inches in length and are composed of scales that possess bracts -- extensions resembling a three-forked snake's tongue. The cones have a papery texture and when immature they are greenish. Their color changes to shades of tan or reddish-brown as the cones age.
  
  

Other Characteristics

• Among the other characteristics that distinguish the Douglas fir is its tendency to have no lower branches on its trunk when mature. As the tree ages, the limbs on the bottom two-thirds of the specimen fall away, leaving only the uppermost part of the tree with any branching. Another trait of the Douglas fir is its ability to thrive where there is plentiful moisture in both air and ground. Rainy, cool climates support the species; dry, hot locations do not. The tree also has little tolerance for extreme cold, as exhibited by its growing range, between U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 and 6. Douglas fir bark is red-brown and extremely thick, which helps the tree stand up to the effects of forest fires.