Ponderosa Pine vs Pacific Silver Fir - TreeTime.ca

Ponderosa Pine vs Pacific Silver Fir

Pinus ponderosa

Abies amabilis

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

CUSTOM GROW

Ponderosa Pine
Pacific Silver Fir

Ponderosa Pine is the tallest known pine in North America. This popular evergreen has distinctive, textured bark and long needles.

This makes it an excellent ornamental tree for landscaping on large properties. Ponderosa Pine is hardy in a variety of soil conditions.

Pacific Silver Fir is a tall evergreen tree native to the Pacific Northwest. It has two-toned needles, dark green on top with silvery undersides, giving the tree a distinctive appearance. The straight trunk and dense, symmetrical crown make it a striking forest species.
It provides ecological value as part of high-elevation forests, offering cover for wildlife and food from its seeds. It is harvested for timber and pulp, and it has been used ornamentally in some plantings.
Pacific Silver Fir is well suited for ecological restoration, naturalization, and habitat projects where native conifers are needed. Its latin name “Amabilis” means ‘Lovely’, due to its striking appearance.

Ponderosa Pine Quick Facts

Pacific Silver Fir Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 5a
Height: 30 m (98 ft)
Height: 45 m (150 ft)
Spread: 9 m (30 ft)
Spread: 8 m (25 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: any
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: long
Life span: long
Growth form: upright, conical
Spreading: seeds - low
Suckering: none


Bark: smooth, grey
Cones: purplish, disintegrate as they mature
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: BC
Native to: BC
Other Names: big pine, black jack pine, bull pine, heavy pine, ponderosa white pine, sierra brownbark pine, western longleaf pine, western pitch pine, western red pine, western yellow pine, yellow pine
Other Names: amabilis fir, silver fir