Hit-and-Run Fir

[Cruiser]

This tree was growing in the middle of a two-track road.
It’s been run over, yet it perseveres. Interesting deadwood features tell the story. Damage to the top and side of the trunk has encouraged stronger growth in unscathed areas. Reiterated leaders have formed.
Healing around deadwood is vibrant and progressive.

 

[Michael P]

The healing damage looks like an old lightning scar.

 

[Cruiser]

Collection was in November 2023.


Housed in a screen-bottom wooden box. Pumice, lava rock, and potting mix.


By September ‘24 things were looking good. I decided to repot.
The tree had grown a lot of fine roots in the 10 months since collection.



Long large roots had died back.


Total removal.


Substrate is pumice-df bark.


A couple larger branches were pruned in October ‘24.



Current. Things look good.


Nearly all branches contain new shoots. New growth has also appeared on the trunk.


The lime-green healing edge is back rolling over scars.

 

[Cruiser]

Roll-over comparison. July 2024 and May 2025.

 

[Cruiser]

Epicormic buds developed along trunk and branches last year, even on parts of the tree that don’t get much light.

 

[Cruiser]

Most new growth tips were removed 6/20/25. The response was a half-assed second flush of smaller foliage and good bud production to elongate next year.

The tree is devoting energy to multiple reiterations along the trunk.
Noble fir is know to do this. These “horns” are undesirable in the Christmas tree world, but most old growth true firs have them, so I want to keep at least some.

Baphomet vibes here.



A mid-trunk reiteration on the left was wired down to become a horizontal branch. The plan is to let it develop more, then kill it. The reiteration opposite (on the right) had its direction set a little more outwards to avoid growing into the branches above. It will be nurtured into another dominant trunk.
Before:
After:

The leader is very strong and is set to blast off next year. It will eventually be removed.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Awesome!
Love the work you are doing… especially the experiments

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Cruiser]

Awesome!
Love the work you are doing… especially the experiments

Cheers
DSD sends

Thanks Deep Sea.
There is still much work to be done!

Mark my words, noble fir will come to be known as an excellent bonsai species.

 

[Erika_Leaman]

I quite like the long left branch here, it adds quite some character and a different nature to a typical upright spruce. Now I'm not sure  why a massive ancient tree would produce such a large limb like that, but visually to me it's interesting!

A stunning tree nonetheless

 

[Cruiser]

I quite like the long left branch here, it adds quite some character and a different nature to a typical upright spruce. Now I'm not sure  why a massive ancient tree would produce such a large limb like that, but visually to me it's interesting!

A stunning tree nonetheless

I thought about keeping it, it would have been an interesting path to follow, but a different vision took hold.

Large dominant side branches on an old apically dominant tree are the result of repeated damage to the trees top and other areas. Less damaged sides are encouraged to become stronger. Windswept trees for example.



In the case of my noble fir, repeatedly getting run over caused unscathed side branches to become larger and stronger.