[26], Significant efforts have been made to increase the growth of red spruce trees in western North Carolina. Upland red spruce forests are emblematic of West Virginia's high Allegheny Mountains and are home to a unique assemblage of wild, native plants and animals. Red spruce are particularly sensitive to acid rain and, at the height of the die-off, some forests lost 50 per cent of them. [18] Other issues that have been damaging red spruce has been the increase in acid rain and current climate change. The cones hang down from branches.[3][4][5][11]. Sign up for our big tree email list and receive year-round updates on the program. Conversely, dissolved aluminum can be toxic or can interfere with root uptake of calcium and other nutrients. [14][15], Red spruce is used for Christmas trees and is an important wood used in making paper pulp. Description A double-stemmed specimen with common pith above ground line. About 20 companies commercially sold spruce gum in Maine during that time period. The Red Spruce (Picea rubens) is a medium-sized evergreen conifer that grows in cool, boreal forests of the northeast, including the Adirondack Mountains.Red spruce is the provincial tree of Nova Scotia. Therefore, the forest types that dominate are spruce-fir (red spruce is more prevalent here than the more northerly white spruce) and northern hardwoods (maple, birch, and beech). [17], Red spruce is the provincial tree of Nova Scotia. The shiny, yellow-green needles are four-sided with pointy tips as opposed to the flat, rounded needles of fir (spiny spruce, friendly fir). One study testing the effects of added aluminum to soil, found that P. rubens mortality rate increased under these conditions. [4], Like most trees, red spruce is subject to insect parasitism. However, it can cause severe defoliation and death of Red Spruce, especially when found in stands with a high percentage of Balsam Fir. Red Spruce is a coniferous tree that retains its needles year-round. The leaves are needle-like, yellow-green, 12–15 mm (15⁄32–19⁄32 in) long, four-sided, curved, with a sharp point, and extend from all sides of the twig. Barton M. Blum. Pinaceae -- Pine family. It is closely related to black spruce, and hybrids between the two are frequent where their ranges meet. The Red Spruce (Picea rubens) is an important tree species in New England; together with Balsam Fir, it is the dominant tree used for lumber and pulp across much of Maine. One of the Red Spruce’s most interesting features is its wood’s unique resonance quality, which makes it highly valued for sounding boards in pianos, guitars, and other stringed instruments. The bark’s appearance reminds some of burned corn flakes. [16] Also it can be made into spruce pudding. Search the American Forests Champion Tree national register. More broadly, it can be found from the Maritime Provinces of Canada west to southern Ontario and south to the highlands of northern New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania. It is also an excellent tonewood, and is used in many higher-end acoustic guitars and violins, as well as musical soundboard. The forest, consisting of 50,000 trees was dedicated in 1940 and had until recently been forgotten until Tartt located and identified the forest.