Ponderosa Pine vs Sitka Spruce - TreeTime.ca

Ponderosa Pine vs Sitka Spruce

Pinus ponderosa

Picea sitchensis

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

CUSTOM GROW

Ponderosa Pine
Sitka Spruce

Ponderosa Pine is the tallest known pine in North America. This popular evergreen has distinctive, textured bark and long needles.

This makes it an excellent ornamental tree for landscaping on large properties. Ponderosa Pine is hardy in a variety of soil conditions.

Sitka Spruce is a native conifer and the largest spruce species in the world. It grows quickly and reaches impressive heights, often reaching more than 50 metres (164 feet) in suitable conditions. It has strong, durable wood that has long been recognised for its commercial value.

It contributes to soil stability and plays an important role in coastal ecosystems. It offers cover and nesting sites for birds and small animals, and its seeds provide food for wildlife such as songbirds and small mammals.

Sitka Spruce plays a role in reforestation and ecological restoration projects in Coastal BC. The Wright Brothers used Sitka Spruce wood to build the frames of their first flying machines.

Ponderosa Pine Quick Facts

Sitka Spruce Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 5a
Height: 30 m (98 ft)
Height: 61 m (200 ft)
Spread: 9 m (30 ft)
Spread: 11 m (35 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: long
Life span: long
Growth form: upright, conical
Spreading: seeds - low, layering - low
Suckering: none


Bark: thin, flaky, gray-brown to gray-purple
Cones: Reddish-brown, papery cones
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: BC
Native to: BC
Other Names: big pine, black jack pine, bull pine, heavy pine, ponderosa white pine, sierra brownbark pine, western longleaf pine, western pitch pine, western red pine, western yellow pine, yellow pine
Other Names: coast spruce, tideland spruce