black spruce (Picea mariana)

How big are black spruce?
Black Spruce can grow up to 100 feet tall and about 24 inches in diameter. However, most trees are smaller reaching about 50 feet and one foot in diameter.

How long do Black Spruce live?
Black spruce can live 150-200 years.

What do their leaves look like?
They have straight, thin, needles, which are usually about 1/2 inch long. The white spruce has 1 inch needles but is very similar in other aspects. The needles grow all along the outer branches of the trees.

What does their bark look like?
Young trees have a reddish or grayish-brown bark. As the trees mature they grow large thin scales of bark.

Where do black spruce live?
Black spruce are found through out the north eastern part of the United States and most of Canada. In the southern part of its range, which enclosed the border country, black spruce are usually found in wet, poorly drained, boggy areas. They are often found with Tamarack or white cedar. Farther north black spruce are found in moist nutrient rich soils, this is where the largest trees are found.

What are some other cool facts about black spruce?
Black spruce bogs often make great places to camp in the winter. They are often sheltered from the wind and provide an ample supply of firewood. The hard resin that seeps out of this tree can be chewed like chewing gum! It is called spruce gum. Many native people used the roots to sew baskets and birchbark canoes.

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