Life History and Disturbance Response of Abies balsamea (balsam fir)
Family: Pinaceae
Guild: persistent, slow growing understory tolerant
Functional Lifeform: small to medium-size evergreen tree
Ecological Role: grows on a wide range of sites from gravelly sands to peat swamps; can establish under dense canopies and quickly responds to release
Lifespan, yrs (typical/max): 80/200
Shade Tolerance: very tolerant
Height, m: 12-27
Canopy Tree: yes
Pollination Agent: wind
Seeding, yrs (begins/optimal/declines): 15/30/70
Mast Frequency, yrs: 2-4
New Cohorts Source: seeds
Flowering Dates: late spring
Flowers/Cones Damaged by Frost: no
Seedfall Begins: early fall
Seed Banking: up to 1 yr
Cold Stratification Required: yes
Seed Type/Dispersal Distance/Agent: winged/ to 100 m/ wind
Season of Germination: spring -- early summer
Seedling Rooting System: heavy central root
Sprouting: occasional layering
Establishment Seedbed Preferences
Substrate: mineral soil or shallow litter
Light: overstory shade
Moisture: moist required
Temperature: neutral
Disturbance response::
Fire: Balsam fir increases in the absence of fire. Fires are usually high-intensity crown fires, occurring at intervals of several centuries. Balsam fir is the least fire-resistant conifer in the northeastern United States. Most fires kill trees and destroy seeds. The bark is thin, resinous, easily ignitable and roots are shallow. Seeds have no endosperm to protect them from high temperatures. Balsam fir is generally slow to reestablish after fire, relying on rare survivors found in protected pockets within the burn, or trees from adjacent unburned areas to provide seed. It is usually rare or absent for the first 30 to 50 years after fire, but gradually establishes under the canopy of other tree species.
Weather: Balsam fir is susceptible to windthrow, especially older trees growing on wet, shallow soils.
Air pollution: Balsam fir is intermediate in sensitivity to sulphur dioxide and tolerant to ozone.
Exotics: An exotic insect introduced from Europe or Asia around 1900, the balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae) is decimating balsam fir populations, particularly in the southern part of its range where the insect is not controlled by low winter temperatures.