Balsam Fir, or Abies balsamea
Introduction
Balsam fir trees are not flowering plants. Nevertheless, like flowering plants, they reproduce with seeds. This group of plants is called “coniferous” because their seeds are produced on cones. Coniferous plants evolved before flowering plants and do not usually need insects (like bees) to transfer pollen to their eggs to make seeds.
Appearance and Habitat
Nova Scotia has a number of coniferous trees that are somewhat difficult to tell apart. The balsam fir tree is often confused with spruce trees. Balsam fir bark has resin blisters (spruce do not). The balsam fir needles are soft and flat whereas spruce have spiky, round-ish needles that you can roll between your fingers. All conifer trees produce both male cones, which make pollen, and female cones that bear eggs that turn into seeds after the eggs are pollinated. It takes around 2 years for the eggs on a cone to develop into seeds. Many conifer seeds have small wings on them that catch the wind. These seeds are spread around the area by the wind in order to start new populations of each species. Throughout the winter, the seeds are also consumed by birds and rodents.
Relationships
Like most plants, the roots of the balsam fir trees have an important relationship with fungi in the ground called “mycorrhizae”. The mycorrhizal fungi provide hard-to-get nutrients to plants in exchange for sugars such as glucose. The balsam fir is a pioneer species, which means it is one of the first to colonize newly opened areas. The fungal mycorrhizae help the balsam fir thrive.
One of the biggest threats to balsam fir trees is the “spruce budworm”, the larva of the moth of the same name. But the spruce budworm actually prefers balsam firs. The spruce budworm eats the needles and during infestations can cause the death of huge stands of balsam fir. The insect’s population cycles every 30 years or so and is believed to be increasing at the moment. Populations of the larval moth are being tracked by citizens in cooperation with a group of researchers at the University of New Brunswick through what is known as “citizen science”.
Human Use
Balsam fir trees are quite important in Nova Scotia as most people use the balsam fir as Christmas trees. There are almost 40 000 acres of balsam tree farms in Nova Scotia. This involves more than a thousand families growing over 1 million trees. Harvesting usually starts in November and Nova Scotian balsam fir trees are shipped as far as the Caribbean. Balsam firs have a very distinctive scent that many of us associate with Christmas. Balsam fir is also one of the main species used for lumber and pulp (to make paper) in the Maritimes. The needles of the balsam fir make a tasty fragrant tea when steeped with hot water for 5 minutes. The resin in the blisters can be used as an antiseptic and analgesic for cuts and scrapes. Many people remember popping the resin filled “blisters” on the bark when they were young. If you stick one end of a fir needle into the resin and put it in a puddle, the resin will propel the needle around the puddle.
Biomimicry
Scientists inspired by the unique abilities of certain organisms often try to create inventions based on those unique abilities: this is called biomimicry. The shape of balsam firs and other conifers have been imitated by builders and scientists alike as even the entire tree has a cone shape. This shape allows the trees to collect and retain light and heat even in the winter.
Scientific Name
The balsam fir is known scientifically as Abies balsamea.
~Monica Schuegraf
