What is special about Sitka spruce?

What is special about Sitka spruce?

Sitka Spruce trees are one of the tallest species of trees, right up there with Redwoods and Giant Sequoias. Sometimes, they get to be very old, and outrageously tall. 2. Sitka Spruce wood has many purposes aside from tonewood.

How fast do Sitka spruce trees grow?

Sitka spruce is of major importance in forestry for timber and paper production. Outside its native range, it is particularly valued for its fast growth on poor soils and exposed sites where few other trees can prosper; in ideal conditions, young trees may grow 1.5 m (5 ft) per year.

How tall do Sitka spruce trees grow?

Sitka spruce is the world’s largest spruce. It can obtain heights of greater than 210 feet (65 m) with a d.b.h. of 16 feet (5 m) on better sites [24].

How much does a Sitka spruce grow per year?

Sitka is fast-growing, even in poor soils and on exposed ground, making it perfect for the Scottish climate. In fact, it’s so fast-growing – young trees can grow as much as 1.5m in a year – it can be tricky to estimate a sitka tree’s age just by looking at it.

Is Sitka spruce a softwood?

Sitka Spruce | The Wood Database – Lumber Identification (Softwood)

What eats the Sitka spruce?

The Sitka Spruce is the state tree of Alaska and it gets its name from an island there, formerly known as Sitka Island. It is enjoyed by wildlife such as deer, porcupines, elk, bear, and rabbits who will eat the twigs, and seeds.

How old can a Sitka spruce get?

800 years
After slowly initially becoming established, Sitka spruce are among the world’s fastest growing trees. They are long-lived – up to 800 years – and, as such, were a “pioneer” of the Pacific Northwest coastline, colonizing glacial moraines centuries ago when glaciers retreated.

How much does Sitka spruce cost?

A top-grade soundboard will cost from $35 to $50. But the price of construction grade Sitka spruce approaches that of pine. Specially sawn, vertical grain lumber may cost $3 a board foot.

How old can a spruce tree get?

In the mountains of western Sweden, scientists have found a Norway spruce, nicknamed Old Tjikko, which by reproducing through layering, has reached an age of 9,550 years and is claimed to be the world’s oldest known living tree….Spruce.

Spruce Temporal range:
Genus: Picea Mill.
Type species
Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.
Species

Is Sitka spruce expensive?

Pricing/Availability: Construction grade spruce is cheap and easy to find. However, old growth and/or quartersawn clear pieces—free from knots—can be more expensive. Quartersawn billets of instrument-grade Sitka Spruce can easily exceed the cost of most all domestic hardwoods in terms of per board-foot cost.

Is spruce a good firewood?

Softwood Firewood Fir is the best choice, but other softwoods include pine, balsam, spruce, cedar, tamarack, alder, and poplar. Softwoods tend to burn faster and leave finer ash compared to hardwoods.

Is Sitka spruce endangered?

Least Concern (Population stable)Sitka spruce / Conservation status