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FIR, the Scandinavian name originally given to the Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris), but at present not infrequently employed as a general term for the whole of the true conifers (Abietineae); in a more exact sense, it has been transferred to the "spruce" and "silver firs," the genera Picea and A bies of most modern botanists.
The firs are distinguished from the pines and larches by having their needle-like leaves placed singly on the shoots, instead of growing in clusters from a sheath on a dwarf branch.
Extensive woods of this fir exist on the southern Alps, where the tree grows up to nearly 4000 ft.; in the Rhine countries it forms great part of the extensive forest of the Hochwald, and occurs in the Black Forest and in the Vosges; it is plentiful likewise on the Pyrenees and Apennines.
Firs (Abies) are a genus of between 45-55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae.
Firs can be distinguished from other members of the pine family by the fact that their needle-like leaves are attached to the twig by a base that resembles a small suction cup, and by erect, cylindrical cones 5-25 cm long that disintegrate at maturity to release the winged seeds.
The wood of most firs is considered inferior, and is often used as pulp or for the manufacture of plywood and rough timber.
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