Pseudotsuga menziesii is strictly a cultivated species in Wisconsin. It does not escape from cultivation and is found only where it has been planted. It is included in the list of gymnosperms because it is a horticultural species in Wisconsin and because it (along with Pinus nigra, Taxus cuspidata and Picea pungens) is a useful addition to the small list of native species of gymnosperms, for teaching purposes. The needles are very similar to Abies balsamea, but it can be easily distinguished from that species by the cones which are pendulus, with conspicuous three-pointed papery bracts clearly exposed beyond the stiff scales that remain intact at maturity. The cones of Abies balsamea are born upright on the branches, lack the conspicuous exserted bracts and the scales fall off the axis of the cone at maturity.

Pseudotsuga menziesii is a species of the western United States from British Columbia and Alberta to California and along the Rocky Mountains south to New Mexico and Arizona. It is not particularly commonly planted in Wisconsin, but appears to be perfectly hardy where cultivated.