Firs Abies

Of 19 assessed members, the sources do not take a side on 11, rate six keep away, and rate two fire resistant. The warning side includes white fir, California red fir, and fir identified only as Abies sp. The two resistant exceptions are Greek Fir and Algerian Fir.

The warnings have reasons behind them. Resin and heat intolerance each recur in assessments of two members, though neither is established across the genus. White fir, the most-studied member, is rated keep away, and its assessment says resin blisters on its bark can be very flammable. California red fir separately receives a high flammability classification. These findings belong to those species rather than to every fir, but they show why a fir should not be treated as resistant merely because of its genus name.

The favorable findings are also species-specific. Greek Fir has its own resistant rating, while Algerian Fir is rated resistant on a single listing. That narrow support cannot be passed along to silver fir, Pacific silver fir, balsam fir, Bulgarian Fir, bristlecone fir, or any other fir without its own favorable finding. For a homeowner, the species name is therefore the deciding detail, not “fir” by itself.