Discover the Wabanaki-Acadian Forest with Thriving Forests

Spotlight on the red spruce – Picea rubens – gawatgw 

Through Thriving Forests, a program dedicated to understanding the ecological importance of Wabanaki-Acadian Forest in Nova Scotia, we’re shining a spotlight on the red spruce this month.   

red spruce

The back of a black spruce branch. Twigs are brown to reddish and new growth is light green.

There are three spruce species native to Nova Scotia and they can be difficult to tell apart. Red and black spruce often hybridize, making it even harder to differentiate. Generally, spruce needles have sharp points and four sides which enables them to roll between fingers (as opposed to fir or hemlock needles which are flat).

White spruce needles have a strong odor when crushed, and grow on hairless twigs, while red and black spruce have hairy twigs, especially on new growth. These hairs are small and may require a magnifier for clear visibility.    

When determining whether a group of trees are red spruce or black spruce, it can be helpful to examine the site for clues. If it is a poor site with a limiting factor (like wet soil), the trees are likely to be black spruce. If the site is average or rich, the trees are more likely to be red spruce. Additionally, red spruce shed its cones every year, whereas black spruce tends to hold onto cones near the top of the tree for a long time. 

Identifying red spruce seeds  

Red spruce, like other native conifers, produces seed cones in the early autumn. Their seed cones begin to ripen during late-September to October in Atlantic Canada. Unlike Eastern white pine, red spruce’s cones are much smaller in size, reaching only 2-5cm in length. The light-brown cones encase small, dark-brown seeds measuring 3-4 mm in length.