Douglas fir

American  

noun

1. a coniferous tree, Pseudotsuga menziesii, of western North America, often more than 200 feet (60 meters) high, having reddish-brown bark, flattened needles, and narrow, light-brown cones, and yielding a strong, durable timber: the state tree of Oregon.

---

Douglas fir British  

noun

1. Also called: Oregon fir.   Oregon pine.  a North American pyramidal coniferous tree, Pseudotsuga menziesii, widely planted for ornament and for timber, having needle-like leaves and hanging cones: family Pinaceae

---

Etymology

Origin of Douglas fir

1855–60; named after David Douglas (1798–1834), Scottish botanist and traveler in America

Example Sentences

The Douglas fir was the focus of their study.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

The company’s forests in Oregon and Washington state are particularly valuable because they produce desirable wood from Douglas fir trees.

From Barron's • Dec. 5, 2025

But one night this last December, against the cozy glow of my fake Douglas fir, I found myself acting completely out of character, sitting up to hurl insults at an advertisement on television.

From Salon • Jan. 8, 2025

The results showed that mixed forests with beech and Douglas fir have enhanced biodiversity and ecosystem functioning while improving the economic performance compared to monocultures of beech.

From Science Daily • Nov. 14, 2024

Akira loved this time of year, when the air was crisp and cool and smelled like cedar and Douglas fir.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz