White Spruce

Picea glauca

APPEARANCE

White spruce grow from a stunted bush up to a 40 metre tall tree, with smooth, shiny twigs and grey scaly bark. The needles are square and the cones are light-brown to purple. It is sometimes confused with Engelmann spruce and the two can mix to make a Hybrid Spruce, but Engelmann spruce have hairy twigs.

RANGE & HABITAT

The only true white spruce grows in the Taiga Plains and the Central Interior, but trees that are part White Spruce are found throughout the interior of B.C.. They grows in many different environments, but prefers moist soils.

LIFE CYCLE

White spruce cones open up when they’re dry and ready to seed. A white spruce can live for over 100 years, but they have shallow roots and are easily blown over by heavy winds.

ANIMAL USES

Many birds, squirrels and small mammals nest in and around white spruce trees. When spruce trees are blown over, they become nurseries for spruce beetles that can attack and kill many of the trees in the surrounding area.

TRADITIONAL USES BY INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

Almost every part of the white spruce can be used for clothing and weaving. The roots are used for baskets and sewing seams, the bark is used for serving dishes. Young trees can be used to make snowshoes and bows.