White firs grow in my home state of Colorado, throughout the Rocky Mountains. When I am home visiting my friends and family, we often drive through the mountains to go camping, hiking, fishing, and skiing. Because white fir trees provide habitats for many different types of animals, including small birds, small mammals such as rabbits, and even larger ones like deer, they enrich the landscape significantly.

Many people who live in the places where white firs grow notice their uniqueness and beauty. Washington State Poet Laureate Sam Green included a poem about white firs in snow in his book “The Grace of Necessity”:

Near the woodshed a white fir,

bent under snow

nearly to the ground

stays bowed,

even after the thaw.

The woods are full

of trees like this…

Clearly, white firs have inspired many people across time and place, including Native people who have long appreciated white firs, those in construction who think of white fir trees as valuable lumber, conservationists who work hard to preserve these trees as habitats, and even contemporary US poets who are struck by the beauty of Abies concolor.