The European silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) is a native coniferous tree that usually grows about 40 metres tall. It has a loosely branched crown and a straight, smooth trunk. Its bark is smooth and light grey, bearing small drops of resin. The leaves are 1.5-3 centimetres long, usually slightly notched at the tip, glossy dark green above and with two greenish-white bands of stomata below; they are not prickly. The needles are usually flattened on the shoots sideways in a comb-like manner. Mature, narrowly cylindrical cones grow vertically on the branches. The silver fir grows in the mountains of Central and Southern Europe. The northern limit of the range of the species passes through Poland. In the Carpathians and Sudetes the species is an integral part of the make-up of the lower mountain forest zone. The most beautiful fir forests are in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, the Carpathians and in the Roztocze range. The first that grow in these regions are about 400 years old. The silver fir likes shade and grows relatively slowly. It is sensitive to low temperature, drought and air pollution. A taproot system protects the tree from windthrows and windsnaps.

The European silver fir is as extraordinary a tree asthe entire world of economics. Wood - includingfir wood - is one of the most precious buildingmaterials known to man. Houses (oikos) are builtfrom wood, but man needs to know how to run ahousehold to make it thrive, which involves theknowledge of rules and laws (nomos). Like mostgoods in the economy, wood makes its journey froma raw material to a finished product. A woodentable or chair are archetypal products. The naturalresource that wood definitely is turns into a rawmaterial. Its preparation takes time, effort and workby a woodcutter. Someone will process the cutwood, someone else will build a table or a chairfrom wooden blocks. Then, the product will betransported, stored, marketed and sold. Every stageof the process requires entrepreneurial thinking,fund raising and forward planning. In the end, thecustomer will buy the product. All the involvedparties, however, make an economically crucialdecision - on the allocation of their resources.

Wood has been an important product for centuries. Since it became something more than building material or basic fuel brought in from the forest to a nearby village, an important and large market had developed. There was demand for wood in the construction and arms industries, but in particular it was sought after in the production of objects for everyday use. Before man learnt how to work in stone or make bricks, he had built with wood. People who could not afford tin or bronze vessels, ate from wooden bowls with wooden spoons. The rich bought beautiful wooden furniture, while the poor - simpler, but also wooden items. Undoubtedly, everybody used wood for heating their houses. Who knows, perhaps the wood market used to be one of the first global markets?

Due to its natural conditions, Poland is one of the largest timber producers in Europe. The timber industry is one of the pillars of its economy, as its share in the country’s output accounts for about 10%, depending on the year. It’s no coincidence that extensive research is conducted into the production, processing and export of timber. Timber as a natural resource, renewable in the long term, is a protectable asset, which is strongly propagated by the proponents of sustainable development and socially responsible business. The fir is not suitable for wider industrial use, since its wood is soft and delicate. Yet, musical instruments are built from fir wood and its medicinal properties are utilized by the pharmaceutical industry. Someone entrepreneurial will certainly develop and implement new applications.