Spruce and Fir ID

[brendonv]

For some reason I have trouble distinguishing between Spruce and Fir Trees.
Just one of those things.

Anyone have any pointers, any dead give-a-ways?

 

[NickfromWI]

Yep, look closely at the needles. Fir are flat and spruce are square. Roll them between thumb and forefinger, (like the way one would hold a joint), fir needles don't move much, spruce spin in your fingers.

love
nick

 

[brendonv]

Thanks Nick,

I thought I've heard something like that, just didn't know which to put with which.

 

[TC3]

The one that's easiest for me to distinguish / ID is Douglas Fir. Aside from the color of the needles (they're a dull aquamarine-ish color, nice), they smell like lemon-orange.
They're single needles, too... no ?
I'm so allergic to Spruce that I get nauseated when I'm working with them from being picked by the needles so much.

 

[NickfromWI]

Do you know about Doug the Shy Mouse?

 

[OTGBOSTON]

Fir is friendly! anyways thats how I learned it from a friend of mine. Touch it, if it hurts its a spruce, if its soft its a fir.....

 

[THillMaine]

My thoughts exactly, you will knwo when you climb a spruce...it hurts, firs are my favorite tree..balsalms, frasiers, concolor

 

[Paul B]

spruce are prickly, fir are soft needled. around here at least.

 

[BostonBull]

Fir's foliage, when crumbled in your hands, smells like lemons. Spruce smells like your typical x-mas tree.

And as said above Fir is F for Flat
Spruce is S for Square. In our area theres only 3 really. Fraser (which arent that common mostly planted), Balsam, and White. You will see SOME Dougs but they were planted. Balsam and Fraser have a REALLY smooth bark, Whites have long flat needles that almost look like a blue spruce. Frasiers are a lil tougher, as they look identical to Blasam, but they are so rare up here, unless planted..................