Picea abies Norway Spruce

Picea abies, Norway Spruce, is one of the most common conifer species in Europe. It is native to and a frequent component of many central European forests, sometimes growing mixed with deciduous hardwood trees, but often a dominant species in subalpine and northern forests, forming pure stands. Along with Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris), it is a major component of the vast, northern boreal Scandinavian forests. Despite its widespread occurrence in Europe, Norway Spruce is not native to Britain although it was part of our flora in previous interglacial periods. However, it failed to recolonise Britain after the last ice age, along with a number of other tree species. It grows to form a large tree with a straight trunk and like other spruce species it produces short, stiff needle leaves that are attached to the tree on short pegs. The characteristic scent of its foliage is reminiscent of childhood Christmas times for many people since, in the past, it was used traditionally as a Christmas tree in Britain. It has been grown widely as a timber crop in conifer plantations in Britain beacause it has a wide ecological tolerance, being able to perform well in the wet climates of the north and west as well as the drier climates of the east. It is also tolerant of cold winters. In previous years it has also been grown for Christmas trees, but in recent years it has been replaced by fir trees (e.g. Nordman Fir) as the Christmas tree of choice by many people. Although it has a place in modern, British forestry, it is not as important as Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis), which grows faster in wet climates, is able to tolerate exposure better and does well on high ground. Sitka Spruce has much sharper foliage which is strikingly blue-grey underneath and although its foliage is scented it is different and less intense than that of Norway Spruce. The female cones of Norway Spruce are much larger than those of Sitka Spruce and may be up to 18cm long. Interestingly, Norway Spruce rarely produces any seed in Britain and the cones are not found stripped by squirrels. Consequently, unlike Sitka Spruce which produces abundant seed, Norway Spruce does not regenerate and is not found naturalised in West Glamorgan.