Fraser fir is a needled, evergreen tree in the Pinaceae (pine) family native to the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States. It is found at elevations of 4,000 to 6,700 feet, often in stands with red spruce trees. It is named for John Fraser (d. 1811), Scottish botanist and plant collector. 

Fraser fir grows best in full sun to light shade and moist, well-drained, acidic, loamy soil. It does not tolerate heat. It is monoecious, meaning that it has both male and female reproductive parts on the same plant.

This tree has a narrow, conical shape when young and grows to 30 to 55 feet tall with a trunk that is 1 to 2 feet thick. It is commercially farmed in North Carolina as a Christmas tree. The Christmas tree industry has ranked it as the number one Christmas tree species! 

The needles are fragrant and long-lasting making the fraser fir an excellent specimen tree for a garden for the blind, a children’s garden, or a recreational play area. 

Quick ID Hints:  

• Long bracts on the cone that curl downward, unlike the short bracts on balsam fir cone that are hidden by the scales.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: The balsam wooly adelgid, an introduced insect, is a major threat to wild fraser fir populations. The deadly infestations easily and quickly spread among trees.

VIDEO Created by Homegrown featuring Jeff Owen, Area Extension Forestry Specialist for NC State Extension