The Tree

The Engelmann Spruce is a tall, narrow, well-shaped tree 80 to 150 feet tall with trunk diameter up to five feet. The tree grows in the higher mountains of the west at elevations of 4,000 to 12,000 feet. The trunk is straight and slightly tapering. The bark is a dark purplish brown to a russet color, and has small loose thin overlapping scales scarcely one-half inch thick. The needles, which are a deep blue-green color, are about an inch long, flexible and soft but four-angled and rather flat pointed, with a tendency to curve forward. The cones are a light chocolate color, have smooth scales, and are about two inches long. Good seed crops are produced every three or four years, the seed remaining fertile in the soft duff of the forest floor for several years. The tree is named in honor of Dr. George Engelmann, a distinguished American physician and botanist, who first identified and classified this particular spruce species about 1860-1865.

Common Names in Use

• Engelmann’s Spruce (Utah, Idaho)
• Balsam (Utah)
• Arizona Spruce (Cal., lit.)
• Mountain Spruce (Mont.)
• Silver Spruce (Colo.)
• White Pine (Utah, Idaho)
• White Spruce (Oreg., Colo., Utah, Idaho)

Growth Range

Where does this tree grow?

The Wood

Features and attributes of this wood

Uses

What is this wood used for? Cabinets, fencing, decking?

Reference