Margo, no need to test. You can expect somewhere between 20 - 50% of the seeds you find will be viable and germinate - the number of sound seeds in a cone is low, better some years than others. Sow heavy, keep only the seedlings you want if you end up with more than you need.

Abies concolor: sow 4 - 8 weeks @ 39F, move to 70F for germination.

Thank you morz8. I will take your advice and sow heavily. Id rather have a lot of good seedlings to choose from and take the best rather than sow just a handful of seeds and end up with only a couple of seeds germinating.

May I suggest you do a bit of research before planting your seeds. Most coniferous tree seeds need "stratification" before they will germinate. This can be accomplished easily at home by placing the seeds in a small plastic bag (so they won't dry out too much) and putting the bag in the refrigerator for a couple of months