290 A MANUAL OF FORESTRY. 



15. COMMON OR NORWAY SPRUCE = Picea excelsa 

 (Link.) 



a. Utility. 



The timber of the Spruce is light, with a specific 

 gravity of -47 on an average ; soft and splits well ; some- 

 what more durable than that of Silver Fir. It is known 

 in Britain as white Baltic pine, the principal tree of the 

 European timber trade, and used for a great variety of 

 purposes, chiefly in the shape of boards, planks, and 

 scantlings. The timber grown in Britain is frequently 

 of inferior quality, owing to its rapid growth. It yields 

 a fair fuel, and is used for the manufacture of paper. 

 The bark is used for tanning. The tree yields turpen- 

 tine. 



6. Distribution. 



The Spruce is found naturally in Europe from the 

 68th degree of latitude down to the Alps, or about 44. 

 It is a tree of the mountains, being found up to an 

 elevation of 6000 feet in the Alps. On proceeding 

 north it gradually descends, until it is found along the 

 sea-shores of the Baltic as a tree even of the low lands. 

 Nevertheless, in Norway it rises still to a height of 

 nearly 3000 feet. The tree has been introduced far 

 beyond its natural limit. It is said to have been first 

 planted in Britain in 1548 (Brown). 



c. Locality. 



Climate. Spruce requires relatively little heat ; it 

 stands a considerable amount of winter frost, but it is 

 somewhat tender as regards late frosts, though not 



