This carving, pictured to the right, was developed using wood from an Amabilis Fir and a pocketknife.
Notice the perfectly curved top and the round hoop in the center. Howard B. Taylor took great care and time to make sure that this carving would not only show off the beauty of the natural wood grain but also could move. The center hoop is completely spherical and moves within the confines of the carving itself. It is similar to a child’s toy rattle that would make noise when shaken.
Scientific Name
Abies Amabilis
This fir is also called Pacific Silver Fir and Cascade Fir.
Height
Ranges from 50 to 150 feet tall
A one-story house averages 10 feet tall. It would take 5-15 houses stacked on top of one another to reach the height of an Amabilis Fir.
Width
Ranges from 2 to 4 feet in diameter
The width of a large refrigerator/freezer is only 3 feet
This fir is also called Pacific Silver Fir and Cascade Fir. Its technical name is Abies Amabilis. This is a large fir with a beautiful spire-like, conical crown of short, down curving branches. The foliage is fern-like and flat. The tree averages from 50 to 150 feet in height and 2 to 4 feet in diameter. The evergreen needles and crowded and spreading forward into rows. They are 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches long, flat, and shiny dark green with groove above and slivery white beneath.
The bark is smooth, white-gray, and becomes scaly and reddish-gray with age. The cones are 3 to 6 inches long, cylindrical, and upright; a purplish color with cone scales and fine hairs. The seeds are paired and long winged.
Location
These trees’ habitat is the coastal fog belt and cool, wet regions. They are also found in coniferous forests and interior mountain valleys. They are found from southeast Alaska south to western Oregon and northwestern California to 1000 feet in the north and 6000 feet in the south.