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Walking through the low lying, moist sites of the Algonquin Highlands, you will be overwhelmed with the beautiful fragrance of the Balsam Fir. A mature Balsam will grow to a height of 21 metres and has a very short life expectancy compared to other coniferous trees. Some trees will begin to rot at 40 years of age, and often half of them are seriously affected by the age of 70. Some trees live until 150 years. To identify the Balsam Fir, you must look closely at the needles. Often mistaken as a White Spruce, the needles differ drastically. Rather than having needles grow out from all sides of each branch, the needles of the Balsam lie flat, growing out both sides of the branch. One very simple way of identification: if cones are present, notice the direction they are growing. As in all Fir, the cones grow upwards from the branch.
At the age of 20, or a height of 4.5 metres, seed production begins. Once the age of 30 is reached regular seed production begins. Heavy seed crops happen at 2-4 year intervals. Most seeds fall within 24-60 metres of the tree but can travel as far as 150 metres. This is the provincial tree of New Brunswick.
The Balsam Fir is the main source of food for the Spruce Budworm, and Moose enjoy Balsam twigs and foliage.
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