Is fraser fir any good?

[Carapace]

I ordered a tiny fraser fir, it's like 20 cm tall and really skinny and I was searching the internet for some fraser fir bonsai to see how they would look, to my surprise, I haven't found any.

Fraser has tiny needles, nice bark, why aren't there bonsai of it.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I had a couple krimmis trees that I tried to style which were fraser firs. They're pretty sensitive if you ask me. Lots of dieback and next to no backbudding.

 

[Carapace]

Oh well, since it won't be able to survive in the ground here (atleast I think so) I'll try and make it into a nice bonsai (if I don't kill it).
It was like 1 euro so atleast it won't be too much of a loss

 

[jszg]

I've been near the Smoky Mountains where I'm pretty sure Fraser fir hails from. It's a gorgeous part of the world. I can think of two reasons why:
- Fraser fir has a very limited range and is federally protected, so no wild-collected specimens. It might even be illegal to sell privately collected Fraser fir across state lines.
- Fraser fir most likely resents heat, moreso than commonly available spruces or firs, so no garden specimens. This is based off my limited knowledge of the Smoky Mts. climate.
I've also read the much more common related Basalm fir is likewise heat sensitive, and doesn't really like growing in a pot.

 

[orangeyeoman]

I've been near the Smoky Mountains where I'm pretty sure Fraser fir hails from. It's a gorgeous part of the world. I can think of two reasons why:
- Fraser fir has a very limited range and is federally protected, so no wild-collected specimens. It might even be illegal to sell privately collected Fraser fir across state lines.
- Fraser fir most likely resents heat, moreso than commonly available spruces or firs, so no garden specimens. This is based off my limited knowledge of the Smoky Mts. climate.
I've also read the much more common related Basalm fir is likewise heat sensitive, and doesn't really like growing in a pot.

The wild population is under threat from the Balsam woolly adelgid. While the wild population is protected on federal land, there is a very healthy trade of them on the open market. North Carolina alone has 58 million of them planted for Christmas trees: https://ncchristmastrees.com/fraser-fir-trees/

 

[Bavarian Raven]

Should be able to treat it like any other true fir. Abies that is.