The Pine Family 133 



also found on the rocky and moss-covered hillsides, where it 

 joins with the white birch, aspen and balsam poplar to 'form the 

 greater part of the forest. 



The wood is soft, weak and yellowish-white in color, and is 

 not valuable as a timber. It is extensively used as pulpwood 

 and in some places is sawn into .lumber, while in the northern 

 forest it is a valuable source of fuel. 



The broken and irregular appearance of this tree makes it 

 unsuitable for ornamental purposes. 



3. ENGELMANN SPRUCE. Picea Engelmannii, (Parry) Engelmann. 



Engelmann's spruce is a tree of the mountains, where it forms 

 dense forests. It is a lofty tree, often one hundred and fifty 

 feet high, with a diameter of three feet or more at the base. 

 The general average, however, is much smaller. 



The branches are slender and spread in whorls from the base, 

 but the lower soon die off, leaving a compact cone at the top, with 

 only straggling drooping branches down the trunk. The bark 

 is about half an inch thick, deeply broken into brown or reddish 

 scales. The leaves are about an inch long, soft and flexible 

 except at the tips, and are distributed evenly over the stem. 

 Those on the fertile branches are often shorter and stouter. 

 When bruised they have the disagreeable skunklike odor of 

 those of the white spruce. 



The cones are about two inches long and are produced in 

 great numbers on the upper branches. They are green, with a 

 tinge of red when young, but become brown when old. They 

 drop off in the winter after having shed their seeds. 



The wood is light and soft, yellowish- white, with sometimes a 

 tinge of red. It is extensively used as lumber. 



This species belongs to the mountainous regions of British 

 Columbia and Alberta, reaching its greatest development in 

 the Rocky Mountains. It forms the bulk of the spruce forest 

 at Banff. 



