• evergreen tree image by Seneka from Fotolia.com
  
  Who does not admire the beauty of an evergreen. The hush of the breeze as it whispers through pine boughs and the pungent fragrance of a cedar hark back to ancient forests. A variety of evergreen trees and shrubs cloak the U.S. Western mountains and valleys and sweep down to the coast in fine green profusion.
  
  

Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

• Native to the entire Western region of the U.S., Douglas fir inhabits many of the regional forests. Growing up to 80 feet tall and spreading 10 to 20 feet at maturity, Douglas fir makes for an impressive specimen. With beautiful blue-tinged needles and an aromatic fragrance, it is planted as an ornamental landscape tree. Douglas firs are also grown as Christmas trees. Small mammals and birds consume Douglas fir seeds.
  
  

Giant Chinkapin (Castanopsis chrysophylla)

• The giant chinkapin is an attractive evergreen located mainly along the Pacific Coast in Oregon, California, and Washington. The tree attains 50 to 90 feet of height at maturity and spreads up to 40 feet. Its glossy green-tinged leaves are yellow on the underside. Other names for the giant chinkapin are golden-leaf chestnut and golden chinkapin. The Nature Conservancy has listed the giant chinkapin as imperiled in the state of Washington. It is not an easy tree to cultivate outside the bounds of its natural habitat.
  
  

Giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)

• Native to California and the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, giant sequoias grow in groves and reach an astounding 250 feet high and 10 to 32 feet in diameter. The oldest giant sequoia is 3,200 years old. The nonresinous bark of giant sequoia is virtually fire-resistant because it contains tannic acid. Giant sequoias prefer a humid climate and sandy loam. They are not logged for their lumber any longer. Many people travel to California's Sequoia National Park each year to see the giant sequoias.
  
  

Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)

• Distributed throughout the entire Western region, ponderosa pine has proven itself a hardy and drought-tolerant evergreen. The tree has a shield of dark bark for armor and grows 150 to 180 feet tall, reaching diameters of up to four feet. Depending on the quality of a particular tree, some loggers call ponderosa pine yellow pine or bull pine. The western tanager, a bird that migrates to the West during the summer season, prefers to nest in the ponderosa pine.
  
  

Spruce, Colorado Blue (Picea pungens)

• Another fine evergreen found in the West is the Colorado blue spruce. It has a native range that spans from the central to southern Rocky Mountains. Colorado blue spruce naturally grows 75 feet high, but only reaches 30 to 50 feet tall when used as a landscape tree. With dense branches and striking blue foliage, it makes a fine addition to any site. Because of the Colorado blue spruce's density, no grass grows beneath it.
  
  

Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)

• Native to the lower 48 states and currently distributed throughout Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana, the western hemlock proved an important resource for the lumber trade. At maturity, the tree reaches 200 feet tall and four feet in diameter. Mature trees have rich red bark streaked with purple and feathery foliage that drapes gently at the ends. The western hemlock produces small cones, no more than an inch long. Woolly adelgid, an insect that plagues other hemlock varieties, does not trouble western hemlock as it has proven resistant to pest.
  
  

Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)

• Fragrant yet prickly, the western red cedar belongs to the Cupressaceae family. Western red cedar goes by several names---canoe cedar, giant red cedar, giant arborvitae, Pacific red cedar, and shinglewood tree. The tree grows 50 to 70 feet tall and spreads up to 25 feet wide. The largest recorded western red cedar is located in the Quinault Rain Forest in Washington. This tree is 174 feet tall and 19.5 feet in diameter.
  
  

White Fir (Abies concolor)

• Found in a wide range of Western soils, white fir stretches to an amazing height of 60 to 200 feet. White fir trees have a lifespan of 300 years or more. Part of the Pinaceae family, white fir grows throughout the Western U.S. but prefers a humid climate with long, snowy winters. The lumber of the white fir produces fine mill work because it is less likely to split when nailed. With an aromatic fragrance and silver-blue needles, many people opt for white firs as Christmas trees.