How tall can a Douglas-fir grow?

Answer 1

The Douglas-fir may reach over 300 feet tall in its native environment. Some specimens of the past rivaled and exceeded Coastal Redwood in stature:

Historically Attested Douglas-Fir Exceeding 300 Feet

300+ William Clark, March 10, 1806. 39 feet girth, 6 ft above ground, 200 feet to first limbs.

304 Jedediah Smith Redwoods State prk. 13.5 dia

305 Woss Lake on northern Vancouver Island. 18 ft diam.

305 NW CA. 2007

300-310 est. orig. ht of Clatsop Fir, Clatsop, OR. Blown down 1962,-

200 ft broken top was 4ft dia. Total 16 dia.

306 W of Roseburg, OR. Esquire--The Wrestless man. 2004

309 British Columbia, displayed at International Exhibition. By Aeneas McDonell Dawson -1881

311 9 feet diameter.-Housing By National Housing

AssociationPublished 1935.

311 9'4" diam. 50,000 board feet, 434 years old, cut in Washington state, Aug. 16, 1926.

Spirit of the Lakes by David K Peterson, 2004.

311 Aberdeen, Wash. 1929 Appleton Post Crescent

312 The Hunters & Serjt Pryor informed us that they had Measured a tree on the upper Side of quick Sand River 312 feet long and about 4 feet through at the Stump. The Journals of Lewis and Clark. April 5, 1806.

315 Skagit River, alluvial bottom.The Washington Forest Reserve by Horace Beemer Ayres, Geological Survey (U.S.) 1899. pg 295.

318 NW CA. 2007

318 Finnegan's Fir, OR. Blown down 1975.

318 A fallen fir tree measured by Lewis and Clark, Saturday, April 5th, 1806, not far from fort Vancouver [near Gresham]. Only 3.5 feet diameter. [Possibly Sitka Spruce]

320 est. orig. ht of Red Creek. Fir, Vancouver IS, BC. 16 dia

320 Koksilah Giant, British Columbia--blown down 1979 after clearcut.

320 Olympic Natl Park WA. 16 dia

320+ a "Douglas Pine" Dr. Forbes measured that was 320 ft to broken branches, and as thick as his waist where the trunk broke. He made out the average Douglas Pine ranged somewhat over 300 feet in height in British Columbia, based on measured trees. Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society Volume VIII, 1863-4.

321 Cathcart Wa,The Washington Forest Reserve by Horace Beemer Ayres, Geological Survey (U.S.) 1899.

322 Near Eugene Oregon, NE of Lowell. A 500 yr old grove of Douglas Fir averaging about 300 feet in height. The tallest measured at 322.-Moon Oregon, pg 202, by Elizabeth Morris, Mark Morris. 2007

324 Chehalis, Lewis Co. Wa. Oak Tribune 1934

324 Wa--900 yr old, Times Recorder, Nov. 1935

325 Tallest Douglas Fir in Stanley Park, BC, Toppled in 1926.

325 Skagit Co. Illabot Creek, 5 miles east of Rockport. 1910. 10 ft diameter. Measured as a fallen tree on the property of Henry Martin, before he built his Home.

326 Queets Valley, Washington.

328 Sedro Woolley, WA 1906. 17 ft diam

329/336 Doerner Fir[Brummett Fir], Coos Co. OR. 11.5 Dia, 500 yr old.

330 Little Rock WA. 6 dia

330 Est orig. ht of tree, from mast 304 feet tall 28 in diam at bottom, 12 in diam at top single Douglas Fir spar used as Radio mast in Portland. Sagas of the Evergreens, By Frank H. Lamb, Published 1938.

340 -Pe Ell, Wa.

340? - 13 ft diam .Vancouver, 1888 at Georgia St. Fir tree measured

13 feet diameter, 4 feet thick 200 feet from butt.

340 - Puget Sound, 42 ft around. over 79,218 board feet. Spring of 1904 Mccormick Lumber Co. Lewis Co, WA Sent to St. Louis Exhibition.--The Indian Forester - Page 320

341 6 km N of Cloverdale, BC. Felled by loggers in 1917. Measured by

Dr Al Carder and father, as a boy.

347 Oregon Douglas Fir cut for flagpole 251 feet tall, Panama-Pacific Exposition.

-- Pamphlets on Wood Preservation, 1900-1915, University of California.

350 est. orig. Ht of Queets Fir, Queets R. WA. Today stands 221 ft,

202 ft to blown top 6.7 ft dia. Breast diameter 15.9 feet

350 WA State, Darius Kinsey photo coll. 1902 labeled

"Tallest Tree in State," 350 ft tall, 16 dia. - Sedro Woolley, Wa.

350 - "In Skagit County is a forest of Douglas pine and white cedar in which there are many trees reaching 325 feet high, and some of them are fully 350 feet high."

Forest Leaves - Page 162 by Pennsylvania Forestry Association, 1922.

350 c. Westholme Fir, Westholme, Vancouver Is. BC. Blown down 1919,

1500 yr old, 16-dia.

352 Lynn Valley, N Vancouver BC, Felled in 1907, 10 feet diameter. 220 feet to lowest branch.

358 Cloverdale, Surey, BC. Tallest Fir measured by a BC forester.

Discovered in 1881 by William Shannon, while constructing Hall's Prairie Rd.

Measured after being Felled, 1,100 yr old. 11.5 dia

380 Nisqually R. Wa, 1899/1900 measured after being felled by loggers. Portion of top missing. Measured with steel tape by E. T. Allen, one of the early technically trained foresters who was stationed in Portland, Oregon.

393/385 Mineral, Wa. Blown down 1929, 1,020 yr old. 15.4 ft. breast diameter.

6 ft. in diameter at 225 ft. Was measured by trained forester Richard McArdle in 1924, who estimated it at 225 ft, plus additional 168 ft of downed top recorded in 1905 by Joe Westover, land engineer from Northern Pacific Railway.

400 c. 1908, "Robert E. Lee" tallest tree of Ravenna Park, Seattle, Wa. Felled in 1920's.

400+ As it lay. Puget Sound, 1876 correspondence from Mr. Sproat to Robert Brown, Book: The countries of the world.

400 c. Kerrisdale District, S Vancouver, BC. Felled in 1896. Julius Martin Fromme superintendent of Hastings Mill, says it was the largest Fir ever received by the Mill, at almost 400 ft long. Bark up to 16" thick. 13' 8" dia excluding bark.

400 Allegedly logged by MacMillan Export Company, Copper Canyon. Date unknown.

415 Lynn Valley, N. Vancouver BC. Felled in 1902 by the "Tremblay Brothers" near Argyle Rd off Mountain Highway. Called, "The Tallest Tree of Lynn Valley," measured by preempter of land, Alfred John Nye at 410 ft along the trunk, and 5 feet of stump. Bark 13.5" thick, dia 14' 3"