A tree from the west coast of Canada and the USA where it once grew in vast forests with individuals up to 100 metres tall. It is a prized timber tree and is now grown as a commercial forest crop around the world. The first botanical record of the tree was made in 1793 by Archibald Menzies, who accompanied Captain George Vancouver (born in King’s Lynn) on his exploratory voyages around the world. You are now standing in the Vancouver memorial garden! The tree was introduced to the UK and propagated by the Scottish plant collector David Douglas in 1827 – hence the common name.
