Any tree of the genus Abies, of the pine family, characterized by erect cones, by the absence of resin canals in the wood but with many in the bark, and by flattened needlelike leaves which lack definite stalks. The leaves usually have two white lines on the underside and leave a circular scar when they fall. The native fir of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada is A. balsamea. Its principal uses are for paper pulp, lumber, boxes and crates, and as a source of the liquid resin called Canada balsam. In the eastern United States the fir is commonly used as a Christmas tree. The Fraser fir (A. fraseri) is a similar species found in the southern Appalachians. Several species of Abies grow in the Rocky Mountains region and westward to the Pacific Coast. The most important commercially is the white fir (A. concolor), also known as silver fir. Other western species of commercial importance are the subalpine fir (A. lasiocarpa), grand fir (A. grandis), Pacific silver fir (A. amabilis), California red fir (A. magnifica), and noble fir (A. procera). | 
