Habitats

Spruce-Fir Forest

Also called Boreal Forest, this habitat is usually named for its dominant trees, Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii) and Subalpine Fir (Abies bifolia). The latter is a distinctive tree with shiny silver bark marked by short horizontal lines. Young Douglas-Firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii) can look similar, but only Subalpine Firs retain the silver sheen when mature. If you are in an area with a good number of large Subalpine Firs, you can be confident that you are somewhere between about 9,500 and 11,000 feet, in the highest of the true forest zones, traditional home of Boreal Owl, Three-toed Woodpecker, Hammond's Flycatcher, Gray Jay, and Pine Grosbeak.