Plant · GBIF taxon 5284717
Red Spruce
Picea rubensAlso known as Yellow Spruce, West Virginia Spruce, Eastern Spruce, He-balsam
Red spruce dominates cool, cloud-bathed high-elevation forests of the eastern Appalachians, creating dark evergreen canopies that shelter specialized wildlife. Its dense, resonant wood made it a historic favorite for crafting high-quality musical instrument soundboards. Today, remaining stands face lingering pressures from air pollution and warming mountain microclimates.
EvergreenConiferMountain Native
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Sunlight
- Water
- Soil Minerals
Predators
- Spruce Budworm
- Red Squirrel
- White-Tailed Deer
ThreatsAcid deposition, climate change, spruce budworm outbreaks
HabitatsCool temperate mountain slopes, high-elevation ridges, bogs
Life span200–400 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyPinaceae
- SpeciesPicea rubens
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
- What to notice
- Recognizable by dark green spire-like crowns atop misty Appalachian peaks above 1,000 meters.
- Support conservation
- Stick to marked trails to avoid damaging thin mountain soils and sensitive sapling regeneration.
Responsible observation
- Needle Identification: Look for shiny, four-sided yellow-green needles that roll easily between your fingers.
- Bark & Cones: Observe the dark reddish-brown scaly bark and small, reddish cones hanging from top branches.
- Habitat Clues: Search for this tree in cool, mist-shrouded high-elevation forests across the Appalachians.
Frequent Companion (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
Prey (c) Joeb, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Joeb · cc-by
Parasite no rights reserved · cc0
Close Relative (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
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