Short answers, pulled from the story.
Pseudotsuga means "false hemlock" in Latin, reflecting the fact that Douglas-fir is not a true hemlock, fir, spruce, or pine. The species epithet menziesii honors Archibald Menzies, a Scottish physician and naturalist who first documented the tree on Vancouver Island in 1791. The common name Douglas-fir honors David Douglas, a Scottish botanist who later reported the species' extraordinary qualities to a wider audience.
Coast Douglas-firs can reach heights of up to 100 meters and commonly grow to 8 feet in diameter, with some trees reaching nearly 5 meters in diameter. The largest specimens regularly live over 500 years, and the oldest known individuals have survived for more than 1,300 years. Historical specimens exceeded 120 meters in height, which would rank them as the tallest trees on Earth if they were alive today.
Douglas-fir yields more timber than any other tree species in North America, making the forestlands of western Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia the most productive on the continent. In 2011, Douglas-fir accounted for 34.2% of U.S. lumber exports, totaling 1.053 billion board feet. Its strength, hardness, durability, and availability in lengths up to 60 feet make it a preferred choice for timber frame construction, trusses, veneer, and flooring.
The spotted owl and the red tree vole both depend on mature or old-growth Douglas-fir forest as their primary habitat, with breeding pairs of spotted owls requiring at least 400 hectares. Small mammals including moles, shrews, and chipmunks consume an estimated 65% of the annual seed crop. The North American porcupine relies on the inner bark as its primary winter food.
Douglas-fir is naturalized throughout Europe, Argentina, and Chile, where it is called Pino Oregón. In New Zealand it is classified as an invasive species - a wilding conifer - subject to active control measures, though it is also one of the most common plantation lumber trees in the country. Fossils of Pseudotsuga have been found in Europe at sites including the Siebengebirge, Gleiwitz, and Austria, dating to the Miocene and Pliocene.
The Red Creek Fir in the San Juan Valley of Vancouver Island is the largest known Douglas-fir in Canada and one of the largest in the world. The Lake Quinault Douglas fir in the Olympic National Forest, Washington, is the largest known in the United States, while the Queets Fir in Olympic National Park holds the record for greatest diameter. The Hermitage Douglas-fir in Dunkeld, Scotland was among the tallest trees in the United Kingdom until it fell in 2017.