European spruce Picea abies

Features

European spruce is a large, fast-growing evergreen coniferous tree growing 35–55 m tall and with a trunk diameter of 1 to 1.5 m.

Species	Trees (Macrofanerophytes)
Living space	Clean or mixed forest
Size	up to 50 m

Description

Spruce is a fast-growing cone-shaped conifer with a branched crown. The needles are 10-25 millimeters long and are straight. At the end of the branches grow elongated cones below, hanging down from the branches. The trunk is elongated. The wood is reddish-white, and on the inside the white is not separated from the black. Planed wood has the smell of resin, and resin pockets often appear (a disc-shaped hole filled with resin). The bark is resinous and reddish-brown in color and is very rough. The roots grow shallow below the surface, so stronger winds or heavy snow can knock it over or break it off. The cones are initially green and hard pressed. When they ripen in the fall, they turn brown. On warm days, the scales on the cones are spaced apart and the seeds are blown away by the wind.