Douglas fir Douglas-fir forest is the primary habitat of the red tree vole ("Arborimus longicaudus") and the spotted owl ("Strix occidentalis"). Home range requirements for breeding pairs of spotted owls are at least 400 ha () of old growth. Red tree voles may also be found in immature forests if Douglas-fir is a significant component. The red vole nests almost exclusively in the foliage of the trees, typically above the ground, and its diet consists chiefly of Douglas-fir needles. A parasitic plant sometimes utilizing "P. menziesii" is Douglas-fir dwarf mistletoe ("Arceuthobium douglasii"). The leaves are also used by the woolly conifer aphid
Henry Bloom Noble finding work as a customs official. His first connection with Douglas was due to his association with Alexander Spittall, father of James Spittall, a Douglas advocate. The elder Spittall was a wine and spirits merchant, whose principal place of business was Whitehaven, Cumbria, although he had a branch established in Douglas. Noble was employed by Spittall as a clerk, rising to the position of manager in 1835, moving to Douglas with his mother. The Nobles took residence in a house belonging to Spittall on the south side of St Barnabas' Square. Noble did not stay in the employ of Spittall