The balsam fir is found from Virginia to Newfoundland and northwestward to the Yukon to Labrador. The balsam fir reaches heights of forty to sixty feet high. It is probably also the most well known of the firs because of its use as pulpwood. The noble fir which reaches heights of one hundred to two hundred feet high is more commonly known to many people as a Christmas tree, since it is often used as such. Two other species of fir include the alpine fir which reaches heights of eighty to one hundred feet and the grand fir which can reach heights in excess of three hundred feet.
True firs differ from true pines in that they have no resin ducts but still have softness of wood.