Short answers, pulled from the story.
Archibald Menzies discovered the Douglas fir tree on Vancouver Island in 1791. David Douglas, a Scottish botanist, first documented the tree's extraordinary nature in the early 19th century.
The coast Douglas fir has produced trees that have reached heights exceeding 100 meters. These giants can live for over 1,300 years, with the oldest specimens living for over 1,300 years.
The scientific name of the Douglas fir is Pseudotsuga, which literally translates to false hemlock. This label reflects the confusion surrounding its classification and the complex taxonomic history that has followed it since its initial discovery.
The Douglas fir dominates vast stretches of forest from British Columbia to California. It occurs in nearly all forest types in the Pacific Northwest and thrives in diverse environments from sea level to elevations of 2,000 meters or higher.
The Douglas fir provides habitat for the red tree vole and the spotted owl, and serves as a food source for small mammals and insects. Douglas squirrels harvest and hoard great quantities of Douglas-fir cones, and the inner bark is the primary winter food for the North American porcupine.
The Douglas fir is extensively used in forestry management as a plantation tree for softwood timber, yielding more timber than any other species in North America. In 2011, Douglas-fir represented 34.2% of US lumber exports, and its wood is used for heavy timber structures, timber frame construction, and flooring.