Balsam Fir vs Eastern White Cedar (Arborvitae) - TreeTime.ca

Balsam Fir vs Eastern White Cedar (Arborvitae)

Abies balsamea

Thuja occidentalis

Balsam Fir
Eastern White Cedar (Arborvitae)

Balsam Fir - best known as a "Christmas tree" - doesn't just look great in living rooms; it's a terrific tree for your yard too!

This fir grows tall and narrow. Balsam Fir is cold hardy, shade tolerant, and will thrive in most soil types and moisture levels.

Eastern White Cedar is a slender growing conifer often used as a decorative tree or a hedge. This tree is an effective privacy screen even in winter and a great long term solution to urban crowding or a drab yard.

Balsam Fir Quick Facts

Eastern White Cedar (Arborvitae) Quick Facts

Lowest Price: $3.29 - SAVE UP TO 54%
Lowest Price: $3.99 - SAVE UP TO 50%
Zone: 2a
Zone: 2b
Height: 25 m (82 ft)
Height: 12 m (40 ft)
Spread: 8 m (25 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Light: any
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: any
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: slow
Life span: long
Life span: long
Suckering: none
Suckering: none


Bark: gray to reddish brown, flat connected ridges
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Native to: MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, PE
Other Names: balm of gilead, blister fir, canada balsam, eastern fir, fir-balsam
Other Names: american arborvitae, eastern arborvitae, northern white cedar