{"slug":"picea-abies","scientific_name":"Picea abies","common_names":["Norway spruce","European spruce"],"family":"Pinaceae","type":"conifer","mature_height_m":40,"mature_spread_m":8,"growth_rate":"fast","lifespan_years":300,"hardiness_zones":[2,7],"sun":"full","water":"medium","soil":"Moist, well-drained acidic soils; dislikes drought and hot dry sites","native_range":"Native to the mountains of central Europe (Alps, Carpathians, Balkans) and the boreal forests of Scandinavia, the Baltic states and Russia; widely planted elsewhere.","description":"The classic Christmas tree, a narrow conical conifer to 40 m with dark green needles and long hanging cones. It is the most important timber tree of continental Europe and was planted by the million in Britain and Ireland from the 1800s, though Sitka spruce has since replaced it in wet western uplands. Red squirrels, goldcrests and crossbills use it.","care":"Plant small trees in autumn on moist acidic ground; keep watered in dry springs because it resents drought. No pruning needed. The larger eight-toothed spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus), first found in Kent in 2018, is a quarantine pest: spruce in the demarcated area of south-east England is subject to movement restrictions under the Plant Health (Ips typographus) (England) Order 2019. Green spruce aphid browns needles.","benefits":["windbreak","wildlife","fast_canopy","carbon"],"uses":["timber","windbreak","screening","reforestation"],"cautions":["pest_prone","heavy_litter"],"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Kuusk_Keila-Paldiski_rdt_%C3%A4%C3%A4res.jpg","image_credit":"Wikimedia Commons, file Kuusk_Keila-Paldiski_rdt_ääres.jpg (see file page for author and licence)","sources":["https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/norway-spruce/","https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/fthr/pest-and-disease-resources/larger-eight-toothed-european-spruce-bark-beetle-ips-typographus/","https://www.gbif.org/species/5284884","https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=284987","https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/picea-abies/"],"data_note":null,"updated_at":"2026-11-08T01:00:46.205Z","page_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/picea-abies","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/picea-abies.md","regions":[{"country":"AT","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5284884"},{"country":"DE","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Alps and central uplands","source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5284884"},{"country":"FI","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5284884"},{"country":"NO","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5284884"},{"country":"PL","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5284884"},{"country":"RO","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Carpathians","source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5284884"},{"country":"SE","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5284884"},{"country":"CA","region":"AB","locality":"Calgary","status":"recommended","note":"On the City of Calgary Top Tree Species for Calgary list","source_url":"https://www.calgary.ca/parks/trees/top-species-for-calgary.html"},{"country":"US","region":"DC","locality":"Washington","status":"recommended","note":"On the Casey Trees Tree Rebate eligible species list","source_url":"https://caseytrees.org/rebate"},{"country":"GB","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"adapted","note":"Introduced by 1548 and widely planted for forestry and Christmas trees; Ips typographus outbreaks in Kent and East Sussex","source_url":"https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/norway-spruce/"},{"country":"IE","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"adapted","note":"Introduced per WCVP; planted for forestry","source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5284884"}],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}