Red Spruce
Picea rubens Sarg.
Mature Size: 60 to 80 feet in height and 1 to 2 feet in diameter.
Form: Narrowly cone-shaped in outline.
Habitat: Well-drained, but moist (and usually rocky) soil, at elevations above 4,000 feet.
Needles
½ to 5/8 inch long, pointed, shiny, yellow-green, borne on tiny, raised pegs.
Flowers
Males cylindrical, reddish but turning yellow-brown; females purplish green.
Cones
1¼ to 2 inches long, light reddish-brown and shiny, with smooth-edged scales. Cones begin to fall as soon as they ripen, and all are off the tree before the following summer.
Bark
Dark brown to gray, broken into irregularly shaped scales, with reddish inner bark showing between scales.
Twigs
Orange-brown; fine hairs can be seen with a hand lens; needleless twigs covered by short pegs; buds orange-brown, small, with loose scales.
Values and Uses
The wood is light, moderately soft, strong and elastic. It is used for lumber, pulpwood, poles, pilings, boat building, barrels and fine musical instruments. Spruce stands are important cover for a variety of wildlife, especially in winter. The buds are a major food source for ruffed grouse and red squirrels.
Did You Know?
In the early days of flight, spruce wood was the preferred species for airplane frame construction. Hardened spruce sap was once used as chewing gum. Red spruce may live to be 400 years old. It is one of the high-elevation trees now stressed by air pollution.
