Balsam fir tree

From the balsam fir tree Abies balsamea, a sesquiterpenoid, juvabione (Figure 9), was isolated as a compound that has a JH activity that causes the last instar larvae of European linden bug, Pyrrhocoris apterus, to molt into nymphal-adultoid forms.58,59 Since then, a number of phytojuvenile hormones have been detected56 such as juvocimene I and II from the sweet basil Ocimum basilicum60,61... 

Balsam turpentine oil is obtained from the resins of living trees of suitable Pinus species by distillation at atmospheric pressure and temperatures up to 180°C, or by other fractionation methods, which do not change the terpene composition of the resins. Wood turpentine oils, on the other hand, are generally obtained by steam distillation of chopped tree trunks, dead wood, or of resin extracted from this wood. Sulfate turpentine oil is produced as waste in the manufacture of cellulose by the sulfate process and is also a wood turpentine. Pine oil is another wood turpentine oil that is obtained by dry distillation of suitable pine and fir trees, followed by fractionation. However, the term pine oil is nowadays used for a product which is manufactured by hydration of turpentine oil (a-pinene). The resulting product is a mixture of monoterpenes containing o-terpineol as the main component. In addition to many other technical purposes, it is used to a large extent in cheap perfumes for technical applications. 

Morgan, R.H. and M.L. McCormack Jr. (1973). Simazine enhances balsam fir growth but contributes to deer damage. Tree Planters Notes., 24(4) 11-13. 

Townsend, P. (1995b). The effect of cultural treatments on the growth and quality of a balsam fir Christmas tree plantation. Forest Research Report No. 59. Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, 27 pp. 

Damage Larvae mine in needles, buds, cones, or twigs of balsam fir, spruce, Douglas fir, hemlock, larch, and pine. One of the most damaging forest pests in North America also damaging in nurseries and ornamental trees. Budworms are the most serious conifer pests in North America, destroying billions of board feet of fir and spruce each... 

Budworms vs. the forest) Ludwig et al. (1978) proposed a model for the effects of spruce budworm on the balsam fir forest. In Section 3.7, we considered the dynamics of the budworm population now we turn to the dynamics of the forest. The condition of the forest is assumed to be characterized by S(t), the average size of the trees, and (r), the energy reserve (a generalized measure of the forest s health). In the presence of a constant budworm population B, the forest dynamics are given by... 

Alma R. Hutchens Indian Herbalogy of North America cites herbs that, according to medical folklore, are said to act against hydrophobia or rabies, some of which are in common with Heinerman s listing. In addition to rue, there is mention of balsam fir, beech tree, echinacea, henbane, Jimsonweed, rue, skullcap, St. John s wort, and tansy. Jimsonweed and henbane contain the alkaloid hyoscyamine, as do some other members of the family Solanaceae, or nightshade family. The family Solanaceae, incidentally, is well represented in HartweU (1982b). 

Canada Balsam. This balsam is the product 4>f the Canadian balsam fir, a tree of very common 0)wth in Canada and the State of Maine. When fresh, it has the consistence of thin honey, an agreeable odor, an acid taste, and a pale yellow color, nearly white. It should be perfectly transparent, and. soluble in rectified oil of turpentine, with which it fonns a beautiful glassy and colorless varnish, which is much used for preparing a semi-transparent copying-paper. A factitious kind is sold, but Is wholly deficient of some of the properties of the genuine balsam. 

Christmas Trees. Christmas trees are an important seasonal crop for both retail and wholesale economies. Silviculture is practiced by cultivating one species of tree, such as balsam fir. Single species are maintained through weeding of competitive species... 

Balsam, Canadian (optical cement) A thermosetting cement made from the sap of the Douglas Fir tree. Used to join optical elements. Also called Canadian turpentine. 

Decline in the growth of evergreens during the past 20-30 years has also been documented in the Adirondacks, in the New Jersey Pine Barrens,and in Maine, based on an analysis of tree rings. In the Adirondacks, balsam fir as well as red spruce have been affected. In the Pine Barrens, the decline and death of loblolly, shortleaf and pitch pine correlates with the increasing acidity of streamwater in the area. ... 

Thick Forest ecosystems are found only along the valley s of large rivers, occupying well-drained places of terraces, slopes and low hills, lying at an altitude of 700-750 m. White spruce (Picea canadensis), balsam poplar, aspen, and in some places white birch, are trees common to these Forest ecosystems black spruce, fir and larch are found more rarely. The latter is attracted to swampy areas. On flat, ill-drained surfaces, forest ecosystems are replaced by vast areas of bog mosses and, in relief depressions, sedge-cotton grass bog. 

Wood wastes do sometimes contain substances that are toxic to plants. In the studies with the 28 species of trees, Allison (1965) reported that most of the woods and barks were not toxic, but California incense cedar and white pine bark were very toxic to garden peas even at the rates of 1 and 2% added to soil in the presence of adequate nitrogen and lime. The woods of red cedar, Ponderosa pine, and loblolly pine, and the barks of California incense cedar and yellow poplar were slightly toxic at the 2-4% rates. The toxicity symptoms usually decreased with time during the two- to three-month period following addition to the soil. There have also been reports that a few other woods, such as walnut, hemlock, fir, and balsam are sometimes, but not always, toxic. Toxicity seems to vary with the age of the tree, and is also dependent upon the quantity added and the test plant. Decomposition time curves, reported by Allison, indicate that it is not uncommon for wood products to slightly retard early decomposition, apparently until the toxic materials disappear. The chemical nature of any toxic products present is not known with certainty but some investigators have attributed the toxicity to resins, turpentine and tannins. 

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