The species Abies fraseri is named after the Scottish botanist John Fraser, who made numerous botanical collections in the region. It is sometimes misspelled "Frasier," "Frazer" or "Frazier." In the past, it was also sometimes known as "she-balsam" because resin could be "milked" from its bark blisters, in contrast to the "he balsam" which could not be milked. It has also occasionally been called balsam fir, inviting confusion with A. balsamea.
Description
Abies fraseri is a small evergreenconiferous tree typically growing between 30 and 50 feet tall, but rarely to 80 ft, with a trunk diameter of 16 to 20 inches, but rarely 30 in. The crown is conical, with straight branches either horizontal or angled upward at 40° from the trunk; it is dense when the tree is young and more open in maturity. The bark is thin, smooth, grayish brown, and has numerous resinous blisters on juvenile trees, becoming fissured and scaly in maturity. The leaves are needle-like; arranged spirally on the twigs but twisted at their bases to form 2 rows on each twig; they are 0.4–0.9 inches long and 79–87 mil broad; flat; flexible; rounded or slightly notched at their apices ; dark to glaucous green adaxially ; often having a small patch of stomata near their apices; and having two silvery white stomatal bands abaxially. Their strong fragrance resembles turpentine. The cones are erect; cylindrical; 1.4 to 2.75 inches long, rarely 3.2 in, and 1–1.2 inches broad, rarely 1.5 in broad; dark purple, turning pale brown when mature; often resinous; and with long reflexed green, yellow, or pale purple bract scales. The cones disintegrate when mature at 4–6 months old to release the winged seeds. Some botanists regard the variety of Balsam fir named Abies balsamea var. phanerolepis as a natural hybrid with Fraser fir, denominated Abies × phanerolepis Liu.
Ecology
Reproduction and growth
Fraser fir is monoecious, meaning that both male and female cones occur on the same tree. Cone buds usually open from mid-May to early June. Female cones are borne mostly in the top few feet of the crown and on the distal ends of branches. Male cones are borne below female cones, but mostly in the upper half of the crown. Seed production may begin when trees are 15 years old. Seeds germinate well on mineral soil, moss, peat, decaying stumps and logs, and even on detritus or litter that is sufficiently moist.
Distribution
Abies fraseri is restricted to the southeastern Appalachian Mountains in southwestern Virginia, western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, where it occurs at high elevations, from 3,900 feet to the summit of Mount Mitchell, the highest point in the region at 6,683 feet. It lives in acidic moist but well-drained sandy loam, and is usually mixed with Picea rubens. Other trees it grows with include Tsuga caroliniana, Betula alleghaniensis, Betula papyrifera, and Acer saccharum. The climate is cool and moist, with short, cool summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall.
Pests
Abies fraseri is severely damaged by a non-native insect, the balsam woolly adelgid. The insect's introduction and spread led to a rapid decline in Fraser fir across its range, with over 80 percent of mature trees having been killed. The rapid regeneration of seedlings with lack of canopy has led to good regrowth of healthy young trees where the mature forests once stood. However, when these young trees get old enough for the bark to develop fissures, they may be attacked and killed by the adelgids as well. For this reason, the future of the species is still uncertain, though the Mount Rogers population has largely evaded adelgid mortality. The decline of the Fraser fir in the southern Appalachians has contributed to loss of moss habitat which supports the spruce-fir moss spider. By the late 1990s, the adelgid population was down. While two-thirds of adult trees had been killed by the 1980s, a study of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park showed that as of 2020, the number of adult trees had increased over the previous 30 years, with three times as many on Clingmans Dome.
Although not important as a source of timber, Fraser fir is widely used as a Christmas tree. Its mild fragrance, shape, strong limbs, and ability to retain its soft needles for a long time when cut make it one of the best trees for this purpose. Fraser fir has been used more times as the White House Christmas tree than any other tree. It is grown in plantations in Scotland and sold by the thousands throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is also cultivated from seedlings in several northern states in the USA and adjacent parts of Quebec Province, especially for the Christmas tree trade. The combination of form, needle retention, dark blue-green color, pleasant scent and excellent shipping characteristics has led to Fraser fir being a most popular Christmas tree species. Growing and harvesting this species for Christmas trees and boughs is a multimillion-dollar business in the southern Appalachians. North Carolina produces the majority of Fraser fir Christmas trees. It requires from seven to ten years in the field to produce a high tree. In 2005, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation making the Fraser fir the official Christmas tree of North Carolina.
