Norway Spruce

Ideal soil conditions

Nutrients: Fertile
Moisture: Good drainage
Texture: Loam; can adapt to clay + sand
Intolerances: Water logging + dry soils, wind exposed + coastal sites
Boreal (north) and montane (south) species

Identifying physical characteristics

Leaves: long, pointed needles but less sharp, dark green
Bark: smooth + red-brown (young); flaky + gray-brown (mature)
Buds: pointed, large, reddish-brown, non-resinous
Fruits: 10-18cm long cones, brown when mature
Roots: shallow root system w/ strong lateral spread

Ecological characteristics

Somewhat shade tolerant
Intermediate to late successional species

Establishment methods

Natural Regeneration: ✅
Seeding: 🆗
Planting: ✅
Coppicing: ❌
Initial spacing of 3,500 - 4,000 trees per ha or more
At lower initial densities the chances of producing high quality construction timber are reduced
Natural regeneration can help prevent weevil attacks

Silvicultural systems

Clearcutting
Conversion forestry
Shelterwood + alternate strip/wedge systems used to prevent weevil attacks

Thinning practices

Four classical thinning regimes
Fell only during winter to manage disease outbreaks
In windy climates: conduct heavy thinning until a stand height of 12-15 metres, with no subsequent thinning prior to final harvest or regeneration
Target DBH = 35 cm; rotation = 40-120 years

Understory dynamics

Provides great ecological diversity
Stands of low stem density can be used as a shelter for underplanting of other, more sensitive tree species

Health concerns

Bark beetles
Weevil
Honey fungus
Heterobasidion
Armillaria
Mild winters
Summer drought
Wind exposure
Late frost
Deer browsing

Economic considerations

POTENTIAL
High demand as a construction timber product

RISKS
Lots of risks in even-aged stands: windthrow, beetle/weevil, and heterbasidion (root/butt rot) being major problems. Clearcutting may not be viable.