European Fir

Abies alba

Digital image of a specimen White Fir in Woodstock Estate, Inistioge, County Kilkenny

Abies alba

Abies alba

Digital image of a specimen White Fir in Woodstock Estate, Inistioge, County Kilkenny

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Common Name: European Fir, Common Silver Fir

Description: Tall tree up to 55M. The crown pyramidal when young later broadening out and becoming flat-topped and irregular with age. The bark is smooth and grey. The cones are cylindrical 10-16cm long and are red-brown when ripe. The seed is reddish and winged. It is subject to late frost damage in Ireland.

Origin: The species is widespread in mainland Europe south of Scandinavia, main populations are in France, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Ukraine and the Carpathian Mountains. This species was one of the first exotic conifers introduced into the British Isles around 1603. Despite preferring a more continental climate and prone to diseases and pests, some of the largest trees in Ireland are of this species.

There are several specimens in Woodstock, varying in size from 25m to 32m in height.

The tallest one and one of the tallest in the British Isles is 40.8m. All measured in 1999.