nches nearly to the
ground. At high elevations the western white pine is very short and
stunted.

[Illustration: FIG. 8.--Western white pine (_Pinus monticola_).

Diameter 24 inches, height 50 feet.]

Although the western white pine is not a common tree in the park, it is
often noticed on account of its abundance of slender, pendant cones, 6
to 10 inches long. They mature every two years and shed their seed early
in September. The seed are provided with long wings and are often
carried by the wind for a great distance from the parent tree.

The wood is light, soft, free from pitch, and the most valuable of any
of the pines of the Cascades. It is used for interior finish, pattern
making, and other purposes. The supply of this tree is so limited that
it is not of great commercial importance in the Mount Rainier region.

AMABILIS FIR (ABIES AMABILIS).[2]

Amabilis fir (figs. 9 and 10) ranges from southern Alaska to Oregon. It
is abundant in the park at elevations from 2,500 to 5,000 feet on level
bench lands, and gentle slopes with a northern exposure. It is rarely
found in unmixed stands, but is usually associated with western hemlock,
Douglas fir, and noble fir. The largest trees are 150 to 180 feet high
and 3 to 5 feet in diameter. In dense forests the stem is free from
branches for 50 to 100 feet.

[Illustration: FIG. 9.--Amabilis fir (_Abies amabilis_).]

At altitudes over 4,000 feet, small amabilis firs often occur in
clusters and open groves. The trunk is covered with branches which grow
to the ground, turning downward and outward in long graceful curves,
admirably adapted to withstand the pressure of the frozen snow. The
foliage is a deep and brilliant green, forming a strong contrast to the
dark-purple cones. The seeds ripen each year early in October. Like the
seed of the other alpine species of trees that grow in the cold and
humid climate of the high Cascades, they soon lose their vitality when
stored in dry places. The amabilis fir is grown in Europe as an
ornamental tree. Under cultivation it loses much of the natural grace
and beauty which it acquired in adapting itself to the deep snows and
long winters of its native environment.

[Illustration: FIG. 10.--The forests of western hemlock, amabilis fir,
and other species, on the middle slopes of the mountains, along the
Crater Lake trail, Mount Rainier National Park.

Photograph by Geo. O. Ceasar.]

The bark is thin and the tree is easily killed