White Spruce vs Pacific Silver Fir - TreeTime.ca

White Spruce vs Pacific Silver Fir

Picea glauca

Abies amabilis

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

CUSTOM GROW

White Spruce
Pacific Silver Fir

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.

Pacific Silver Fir is a tall evergreen tree native to the Pacific Northwest. It has two-toned needles, dark green on top with silvery undersides, giving the tree a distinctive appearance. The straight trunk and dense, symmetrical crown make it a striking forest species.
It provides ecological value as part of high-elevation forests, offering cover for wildlife and food from its seeds. It is harvested for timber and pulp, and it has been used ornamentally in some plantings.
Pacific Silver Fir is well suited for ecological restoration, naturalization, and habitat projects where native conifers are needed. Its latin name “Amabilis” means ‘Lovely’, due to its striking appearance.

White Spruce Quick Facts

Pacific Silver Fir Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 5a
Height: 25 m (82 ft)
Height: 45 m (150 ft)
Spread: 6 m (20 ft)
Spread: 8 m (25 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: long
Life span: long
Growth form: upright, conical
Spreading: seeds - low
Suckering: none


Bark: smooth, grey
Cones: small cones
Cones: purplish, disintegrate as they mature
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: amabilis fir, silver fir