pseudotsuga menziesii

Can "dead" stumps keep growing?

Have you ever come across a stump that grew a bulging cap on top of the cut surface? How and why does this happen?

How do trees avoid incest?

Aaa-choo! With all that pollen wafting around, how do trees minimize self-pollination? It’s not like a tree can choose its mate …

Douglas-fir dwarf mistletoe

Many Douglas-firs near Lake Chelan are deformed. What is causing this?

Snow after Memorial Day?

It’s the end of May. Have you noticed snow swirling in the air and starting to accumulate along the edges of roads?

New Douglas-fir cones?

Are you seeing new green cones on Douglas-firs this year? I’m not.

What's a maple flower?

Do native maple trees bear flowers? If so, what do they look like? How can I recognize them?

After Snowpocalypse, how are the trees doing?

Here in the Pacific NW, we had an uncommonly cold and snowy February. Did this affect the new buds on trees and shrubs?

Cones on Douglas-firs this year!

Douglas-fir cones are re-appearing again after a year of no cones.

The wonder of big trees

Old-growth forests, at least in large swaths, are nearly gone from the Pacific NW. To even try to restore old-growth forests will take hundreds of years of careful stewardship. But small tracts of old-growth and individual big trees occur sporadically throughout the Pacific NW, especially in parks. Have you seen a big tree? Do you know where to look? Prepare to be awed!

Douglas-fir seeds: a trick question

Let's take apart a Douglas-fir cone with a pair of kitchen shears. What's inside?

For old cones, you'd expect that most or all of the seeds are gone, which is what we find.

What do Douglas-fir seeds look like? How many are there?

And finally, read this for a trick question ...

Missing in action: green cones on Douglas-firs

Where are all the Douglas-fir green cones this year? Is this a sign of trouble?