"Spruce, one of the most important trees in all the American sylva, is in danger not because of it's surpassing beauty, but for its high qualities," wrote author Donald Cutross Peattie in "A Natural History of Western Trees." Man has so many uses for this tree that the competition between its suitors is fierce," he added.

Sitka spruce gets its name from Sitka Island in southeastern Alaska. Sitka Spruce thrives in wet conditions - the Pacific Coast from Northern California north to Alaska. Typically found within 50 miles of the coast, it also thrives in high elevations - some up to 3,000 feet.

Sitka spruce is used in musical instruments such as piano soundboards, violins and organ pipes. "A satisfactory sounding board must have qualities not found in every wood," wrote Peattie. Spruce offers a uniform texture with no grain irregularities so that "all the parts of the wood, when vibrating, will respond equally. The annual growth rings should be narrow as well as uniform, to produce the greatest elasticity." In Europe, the Norway spruce yields the best wood for musical instruments, Peattie said, but in the United States, Sitka spruce has the necessary qualities- "close-ringed, defect-free, straight boards."

It is also used widely for interior joinery, building construction, cooperage and boxes. Sitka spruce can be sliced into veneers.

DURABLE FOR FLIGHT
Sitka spruce's strength and lightness were especially valued in the making of airplanes and gliders during World War I and II. "Experience in combat has taught that wood has greater ability to absorb shock than metal. When a metal propeller is dented it may develop an unseen fatigue crack that will explode later," Peattie wrote. This will not occur with spruce, he added.

SPRUCE STATISTICS
Sitka spruce, Picea sitchensis, yields a creamy white, pink-tinged sapwood, and a pink-brown heartwood. Most of the wood is straight-grained, although some displays a spiral grain. Some believe that timber from the center of the tree is most likely to yield the spiral grain.
"Though soft, it is strong and has an uniform texture and a high affinity for glue and paint," Peattie wrote. "This makes it ideal material for doors, especially overhead garage doors which must be light as to move at a touch. The wood has little tendency to bleed through the finish, so it is excellent for interior trim and paneling, bungalow siding and furniture. It does not split, warp or crack in the position of hatch covers for vessels."
Because it is both light and strong it is excellent for workman's scaffolding, for the best tall ladders and for bleachers.

FAMILY NAMES
Picea sitchensis of the family Pinaceae.

OTHER NAMES
Sitka spruce, silver spruce, tideland spruce, Menzies spruce, coast spruce, Sequoia silver spruce.

HEIGHT/WEIGHT
Height can be more than 300 feet. Average height is 150 to 200 feet with an average weight of 27 pounds per cubic foot and specific gravity of 0.43.

PROPERTIES
Very high strength to weight ratio; medium bending and crushing strengths; medium stiffness and resistance to shock loads. Steam bending classification is very good. Sitka spruce is non-durable. Wood is particularly vulnerable to pinhole borer beetles and jewel beetles. For seasoning, the wood dries rapidly but occasional warping, splitting and loosening of knots is a problem. Nails and takes screws easily. 
 

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