Tree of the Month - December 2016

What is tree of the month?

Abies fraseri (Fraser fir)

Why is it tree of the month?

An increasingly common sight around this time of year, Fraser fir is widely used as a Christmas tree. It is however included on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants as Endangered, as it's threatened by an invasive insect in its native range in the Eastern United States.

There it grows with a number of other species that also grow in the Westonbirt collection such as the American mountain ash, Sorbus americana and mountain maple, Acer spicatum.

In U.K cultivation it is generally considered not to be particularly long lived.

Where can I find it?

A small but fine specimen grows close to Holford Ride in Victory Glade and other, younger plants can be found elsewhere in the Old Arboretum.

You can locate specimens using the Westonbirt map.