Fabulous Fir Trees
A Viking Legend
Legend has it that long ago in the land of the Vikings, virtues of faith, hope, and love were sent from above to search the Earth. What were they looking for? A tree as high as hope, as great as love, and as sweet as charity. In the northern evergreen forest they found a fir tree illuminated by sparkling stars.
It became the first Christmas tree.
Since firs grow skyward 60 feet or more, ancient Druids considered them symbols of being upright, truthful and honest. Like many members of the pine tree family, balsam fir contains vitamin C. Native Americans and pioneers used the plant to treat rheumatism, headache, and sore throats. Until synthetics, fir resin was used in medicine and optics. In the 1900s, Door County people stuffed cedar into Small aromatic pillowsAnd, who wouldn’t be soothed by the sweet aroma of a pillow stuffed with balsam needles?
Fir Folklore and Remedies
Since firs grow skyward 60 feet or more, ancient Druids considered them symbols of being upright, truthful and honest. Like many members of the pine tree family, balsam fir contains vitamin C. Native Americans and pioneers used the plant to treat rheumatism, headache, and sore throats. Until synthetics, fir resin was used in medicine and optics.
Some superstitous Celts, on the other hand, fastened a sprig of Balsam Fir to their front doors to ward off naughty sprites.
In Door County, the virtues of the Balsam Fir (Abies balsamae) are well known. Like other fir trees, it is in the family Pinacea. The Balsam Fir’s genus name, Abies, means “to rise” but its common name is from Old Norse (fyri) or perhaps old Danish (fyr).
Fragrant and shapely, it is a popular Christmas tree. In the 1900s, Door County people stuffed cedar into fabric squares and sold the aromatic, calming “pillows” to tourists.
Flat Needles
In Ephraim woodlands, the Balsam Fir tapers upwards. Each fragrant needle-like leaf is attached singly to a branch. The base of each flat needle looks like a suction cup. Hemlocks also have a flat needle but its base has a tiny stem, to which it attaches to the branch. “A hemlock has a stemlock” is a mnemonic device that helps identify the two trees. The word “stemlock” is Suess-like, a made up word to use as a memory prompt.
According to the US Forest Service, Balsam Fir has a narrow range (7.3% of the eastern US). Its habitat is changing. Warming temperatures are impacting this less adaptable species. The predicted increase in precipitation in Northeast Wisconsin may not be enough to offset the heat. Balsam Fir may decline in Door County in the decades to come. So, take note of the tree’s stubborn will to survive by looking for "fir nurseries" on Door County hikes. You may even see new trees emerging from the Balsam’s lower branches. If the soils is moist, the branches can “strike root” resulting in a circle of fir babies around a Mama Balsam.
As for non-human critters, Chipmunks and Crossbill birds (uncommon Ephraim winter visitors) eat Balsam Fir seeds while Yellow-rumped warblers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and other feathered friends use the thick green branches for nesting sites.
A Fir Tree Fairytale
Who remembers by the somber story as told by Dane Hans Christian Andersen? First published on December 21, 1844, it tells of a young fir so preoccupied with imagining better times that present delights go unnoticed. "Rejoice in our presence!" cry Air and Sunlight. "Rejoice in thy own fresh youth!"
But alas, the little tree does can only think about the next great thing. In the end, it is cast off as yesterday’s Christmas tree, left in a courtyard corner with weeds and nettles, and (horrors!) chopped up for firewood.
Sources:
Climate Change Atlas, USDA Forest Service.
theholidayspot.com
Simmons, Adelma Grenier. A Merry Christmas Herbal, Quill, New York, 1968.
Wikipedia, “Hans Christian Andersen”
Submitted by Kathleen Harris, EHF Educator, in 2020. Updated in 2024.
