Western Spruce Tree Information

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Images of Western Spruce:

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Western Spruce grows in the following 7 states and provinces:

Alaska, British Columbia, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Yukon

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Information about Western Spruce:

The Picea Sitchensis is commonly known as the Coast Spruce, Menzies' Spruce, Silver Spruce, Sitka Spruce, Tideland Spruce, Western Spruce as well as Yellow Spruce.

The currently accepted scientific name of Sitka spruce is Picea sitchensis (Bongard) Carriere (Pinaceae) . Species within the genus Picea form hybrid swarms at the interface of their ranges. Sitka spruce naturally hybridizes with white spruce (P. glauca) to produce Lutz spruce (Picea X lutzii Little) . It is often difficult to identify Picea X lutzii by morphological chacteristics in stands with low levels of introgression . Sitka spruce in plantations will also hybridize with Yezo spruce (Picea jezoensis), Serbian spruce (P. omorika), and Engelmann spruce (P. engelmannii) .

Sitka spruce's natural range is a narrow strip of land along the northern Pacific coast from south-central Alaska to northern California. Its widest distribution (130 miles inland) occurs in southwestern Alaska and northern British Columbia. Its southern boundary is defined by a disjunct population in Mendocino County, California . Sitka spruce has been extensively introduced into the British Isles .

Sitka spruce is listed as a dominant overstory species in the following published classifications: Natural vegetation of Oregon and Washington . Plant association and management guide: Sinslaw National Forest . Preliminary classification of forest vegetation of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska .

Some of the information provided here is attributed to:Griffith, Randy Scott. 1992. Picea sitchensis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). , available at the USDA Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) website