Larch Tree Information


Images of Larch:



Larch grows in the following 4 states and provinces:

California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington


Information about Larch:


More information about Larch may be found here.

The Abies Procera is commonly known as the Larch, Noble Fir, Red Fir as well as White Fir.

The currently accepted scientific name of noble fir is Abies procera Rehd. . There are no recognized varieties or subspecies. Noble fir hybridizes readily with California red fir (Abies magnifica) . Populations in southern Oregon and northwestern California may represent hybrid swarms between these two species . Noble fir occurring south of the McKenzie River is not genetically pure .

Noble fir occurs in the Cascade Range from Stevens Pass, Washington, south to southern Oregon and the Klamath Mountains in northern Calfornia . Scattered populations occur on isolated peaks in the northern Coast Ranges of Oregon and in the Willapa Hills of southwestern Washington . A few sources indicate that noble fir does not occur in the Olympic Mountains . It is cultivated in Hawaii .

Noble fir is often dominant in young, mixed stands . It occurs primarily in the Pacific silver fir (Abies amabilis) zone and less frequently in the western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) and mountain hemlock (T. mertensiana) zones . Noble fir occurs with Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and replaces it in the upper half of the Pacific silver fir zone . Occasionally, noble fir occurs in small pure stands . Noble fir is listed as a minor or associated species in the publications listed below: Plant association and management guide for the Pacific silver fir zone, Gifford Pinchot National Forest Natural vegetation of Oregon and Washington The forest communities of Mount Rainier National Park Plant association and management guide for the Pacific silver fir zone, Mt. Hood and Willamette National Forests Plant association and management guide, Suislaw National forest Terrestrial natural communities of California Montane and subalpine vegetation of the Klamath Mountains

Some of the information provided here is attributed to:Cope, Amy B. 1993. Abies procera. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). , available at the USDA Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) website