fir (redirected from fir trees)

fir, any tree of the genus Abies of the family Pinaceae (pine family), tall pyramidal evergreen conifers characterized by short, flat, stemless needles and erect cylindrical cones that shed their scales rather than dropping off the tree whole. Firs, valued and cultivated for their fragrance and beauty, are found chiefly in alpine regions of the Northern Hemisphere. In North America the balsam fir, or balsam, popular as a Christmas tree and the source of Canada balsam, is native to the Northeast; the Fraser fir, or she-balsam, grows in the Alleghenies and is used as a Christmas tree; and the noble, alpine, and red firs are found at high altitudes and the grand, silver, and white firs on lower mountain slopes in the Northwest. Fir wood is usually light and soft but is sometimes used for interior finishing and for crates and boxes. The Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii, is not a true fir (see pine). Firs are classified in the division Pinophyta, class Pinopsida, order Coniferales.

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fir

Properly, any of about 40 species of trees that make up the genus Abies, in the pine family. Many other evergreen conifers (e.g., Douglas fir, hemlock fir) are also commonly called firs. True firs are native to North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. They are distinguished from other genera in the pine family by their needlelike leaves, which grow directly from the branch and have bases, shaped like suction cups, that leave conspicuous circular scars when the leaves fall. North America boasts 10 native species of fir, found chiefly from the Rocky Mountains westward. The wood of most western North American firs is inferior to that of pine or spruce but is used for lumber and pulpwood. Of the two fir species that occur in the eastern U.S. and Canada, the better known is the balsam fir (A. balsamea), a popular ornamental and Christmas tree.

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FIR

(Fast InfraRed) A high-speed IrDA protocol with data rates up to 4 Mpbs. See IrDA.

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fir

1. any pyramidal coniferous tree of the N temperate genus Abies, having single needle-like leaves and erect cones: family Pinaceae

2. any of various other trees of the family Pinaceae, such as the Douglas fir

3. the wood of any of these trees

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fir [fər]

(botany)

The common name for any tree of the genusAbiesin the pine family; needles are characteristically flat.

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1.	(electronics)	FIR - Finite Impulse Response (filter).
2.	(standard)	FIR - Fast Infrared. Infrared standard from IrDA, part of IrDA Data. FIR supports synchronous communications at 4 Mbps (and 1.115 Mbps?), at a distance of up to 1 metre.