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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Blogs Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Multimedia Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Road Cams Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Women in Business Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend October 6, 2006 A white or grand fir? It's in the needles Those on white firs are more vertical; grand firs have horizontal ones; but how much does it matter except to a tree expert? No one I know thinks of plants as promiscuous. After all, they don't seem to get around much. Not so! Pollen, the male structure that plays havoc with our respiratory system, can reach elevations of more than two miles and can travel hundreds of miles "in search of a female." This wanderlust guarantees outcrossing, the union of individuals from far-reaching populations and different lineages. The process maximizes the long continuum of genetic diversity. What does this have to do with white fir and grand fir? Well, I'll get to that later. White fir is the second most common forest tree in and around the Rogue Valley, second only to Douglas fir, our favorite Christmas tree and most-prized structural material. White fir tends to grow at high elevations, grand fir at low elevations. Advertisement Both are "true" firs, highly susceptible to insects, diseases, drought and fire. As their numbers increase, forest health, by most definitions, decreases. Moreover, their puny structural properties pale when compared to Douglas fir. While it is not difficult to differentiate between other conifers and true firs, it is next to impossible to distinguish between grand firs and white firs. Why should you try, you ask? Since I am not keen on the concept of pigeonholing the continuum of genetic diversity into species, my answer has been akin to Alfred E. Newman's "What, me worry?" I chose to call them all white fir and avoid any problems. Little did I know I opted to take on the wrath of several dendrologists (tree specialists). Classification (pigeonholing) is a serious part of what they do. I was sent reams of publications (well, maybe a few pages) explaining that white fir needles stand erect, like four abreast drummers in a parade (not their language) while grand fir needles stick straight out horizontally on either side of the stem (all in all a good reason to separate the population into two, rather than one, distinct species?). Since I thought those morphological needle differences were environmentally determined rather than genetically fixed, I suggested that the tops of most trees would key to white fir, while the bottom branches of the same tree would key to grand fir. It was an easy call, since I spent several seasons shooting twigs out of trees to determine if the water stress was the same throughout the tree. Top needles tend to bunch. Like animals in the cold, there is protection in proximity. Wind desiccation and direct sun, are the most critical stress during the growing season in southwest Oregon. Water is the most limiting resource here. Additionally upright needles receive less direct sunlight. On the other hand, bottom branches are shaded and somewhat protected from the wind. It is to their advantage to gather all the solar energy possible, so they lie flat, horizontally exposed to the diffused, but rich energy that penetrates the canopy. Classification (male-female, liberal-conservative, black-white, grand fir-white fir) can precede understanding. Description or simple listing is the first phase of science. And while there is some comfort and satisfaction in labeling, we continually seek to advance our understanding. We have moved from morphological classification to functional criteria such as bud development. More recently, we have used DNA evidence to explore and establish new species relationships. Although I know that dividing a genetic continuum into species is artificial, I use the labels (species names). They are convenient. But I know my knowledge is incomplete and "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" (Alexander Pope, 1709). As for white and grand fir, it's all the same continuum to me. Tom Atzet is a retired Forest Service ecologist living in Merlin. He can be reached at P.O. Box 1226, Merlin, OR 97532. Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. 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