Fir/spruce difference?

[Hill-Billy]

Hi Guys. This may be obvious to some(or many) can anyone tell me the difference between a Fir and a Spruce. I'm trying to ID a conifer using my Collins Tree Guide but not having much luck. I must have overlooked the obvious...!

[daveindales]

First thing I'd do is get a better book, such as a field guide to trees of Britain and Northern Europe, by Alan Mitchell. A bit outdated ( I presume) but great book

[Hill-Billy]

First thing I'd do is get a better book, such as a field guide to trees of Britain and Northern Europe, by Alan Mitchell. A bit outdated ( I presume) but great book

 

Apparently (Google!), the Fir has flat needles. So if you pull one off and try and roll it between finger and thumb it becomes immediately obvious. Therefore I've decided I must have a Fir branch in front of me and not a Spruce. Thanks for the Field Guide tip. You can't have too many good books, but it's also good to know that there is considerable knowledge out there.

[openspaceman]

Hi Guys. This may be obvious to some(or many) can anyone tell me the difference between a Fir and a Spruce. I'm trying to ID a conifer using my Collins Tree Guide but not having much luck. I must have overlooked the obvious...!

 

Spruces tend to have needles radiating uniformly around the shoot when looking it from the bud, firs seem to have a "parting".

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

First thing I'd do is get a better book, such as a field guide to trees of Britain and Northern Europe, by Alan Mitchell. A bit outdated ( I presume) but great book

 

The best tree book ever! A legend!

[Riggerbear]

I was always told that if you hold of a branch / twig, spruce needles feel sharp and will hurt your hand and Douglas fir needles feel soft and ok to handle. Just a little trick to help you ID them

 

 

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[slack ma girdle]

Spruce spikey

Fir soft

Larch itchey

[Sciadopitys]

Spruce (Picea) cones point downwards; Fir (Abies) cones point upwards.

 

Pull an individual needle off a Spruce and you will notice where it joins the branch there is a brown stub. If you do this with a Fir needle, it comes away on a sort of circular sucker-pad. This always works!

 

Douglas Fir is not either! It is Pseudotsuga menziesii - very easy to ID - buds like a Beech, and the cones are totally unique!

[Hill-Billy]

Nice Info Guys. This thread is quite subtle IMO. Since posting this thread I have looked at several tree recognition books and the amount of information/level of detail needed to make a Tree ID is high!

[kev7937]

Spruce (Picea) cones point downwards; Fir (Abies) cones point upwards.

 

Pull an individual needle off a Spruce and you will notice where it joins the branch there is a brown stub. If you do this with a Fir needle, it comes away on a sort of circular sucker-pad. This always works!

 

Douglas Fir is not either! It is Pseudotsuga menziesii - very easy to ID - buds like a Beech, and the cones are totally unique!

 

 

 

Picea leaves pegs this is the way I've always remembered it and dougies have little ears on the cones .