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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of Douglas fir

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Douglas fir

A $5 permit, a hike through the snow, and a glorious Douglas fir we covered in lights.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 24, 2025

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

Little said he sees a “tremendous increase” in demand for the varieties of Douglas fir wood that are typically used for homebuilding in California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 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

Farther up the bay, on the dead-water east arm known as Little House Cove, the Westinghouse family had built a Newport-style mansion on thirty acres of Douglas fir trees.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson