Douglas fir

Pseudotsuga menziesii

Towering conifer of western North America reaching 75 m or more, with strong, stiff, structural timber that is the principal framing lumber of North American house construction (sold as "Douglas-fir" or "Oregon pine").

Hardiness ratings

Douglas fir hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 4–6 −34.4 °C to −17.8 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H7 down to −20 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 4–7 −29 °C to −7 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 1–4 −15 °C to 5 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Principal structural framing timber of North American (and increasingly European) house construction — strength-to-weight ratio rivals any softwood
  • Not a true fir (Abies) — the binomial Pseudotsuga reflects this, "false hemlock"
  • Excellent tall conifer windbreak in cool wet temperate climates — long lived and steady
  • Tallest specimens of the species are among the tallest trees ever measured, second only to coast redwood

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Douglas fir against your zones

Reference

Douglas fir on Wikipedia