White Spruce vs Sitka Spruce - TreeTime.ca

White Spruce vs Sitka Spruce

Picea glauca

Picea sitchensis

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

CUSTOM GROW

White Spruce
Sitka Spruce

White Spruce is a hardy, long-lived evergreen tree. It can grow in many soil types and moisture levels. And it can even tolerate significant amounts of shade. White spruce requires little maintenance and is well suited for use in shelterbelts, privacy screens, hedges, and as an ornamental in an urban setting.

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.

White Spruce Quick Facts

Sitka Spruce Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 5a
Height: 25 m (82 ft)
Height: 61 m (200 ft)
Spread: 6 m (20 ft)
Spread: 11 m (35 ft)
Light: partial shade, 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: small cones
Cones: Reddish-brown, papery cones
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no

In row spacing: 3 m (10 ft)

Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Native to: BC
Other Names: alberta white spruce, canadian spruce, cat spruce, labrador spruce, northern spruce, pasture spruce, porsild spruce, skunk spruce, western white spruce
Other Names: coast spruce, tideland spruce