Lushootseed Name: c̓əlaqayac (pronounced tch-oul-kai-yatz)

Location: A small sapling in the center of a small walking loop in the Grieg Garden, surrounded by Red Oak and Rhododendron.

Summary: This is a very small young example of one of this State’s defining trees. The Sitka Spruce is a lover of wet coastal forests, never growing more than about 40 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean or Salish Sea. In spite of this narrow inland reach, the species’ range is incredible, 2000 miles north to south along the coastline, from Northern California up to Kodiak Island in Alaska. This narrow yet expansive range is defined by water availability. The Sitka Spruce loves rainfall, particularly when it can be guaranteed between 80 and 200 inches per year. In Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, the Spruce forests enjoy a steady and nearly year-round drizzle, making it a magical and misty place to visit (if one doesn’t mind a bit of moisture). All that water and a moderate climate with limited freezing produces conditions ripe for the growth of magnificent trees! Sitka Spruce trees frequently achieve diameters in excess of seven feet, with record holders achieving an incredible 12-17 feet across. Combine this with the ability of the species to grow to heights in excess of 300’, a feat only achieved by a handful of tree species in the entire world, and it should come as no surprise that the massive quantity of wood available in Sitka Spruce forests attracted the early interest of timber companies. 

Sitka Spruce wood is miraculous; it is stronger than steel by weight. This trait has made it a favorite for applications where both weight and strength are of concern, such as for early airplane construction. During World War I and II, forests of Spruce were decimated, the federal government going so far as to open up Olympic National Park to Spruce logging to support the war effort. For the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific coast, the Sitka Spruce is a traditional source of roots for weaving baskets and rain hats, as well as rope. The resin of the species is an effective glue, sealer, and waterproofing agent.

Identifying Features light: This is a very small example of what may someday become a mighty tree. The Sitka Spruce is known to achieve great size, particularly in the wet forests of the Olympic peninsula, where old stands still remain in the portions protected from the loggers axe. The mighty trees once stood where Seattle now lies as well, but their grand lofty crowns more than 200 feet above the forest floor are no more here, the victim of being too valuable as a timber product. Spruce have very sharp dense bottlebrush needles, the adage goes “spikey spruce”, which one may remember more easily if they ever try to grasp the boughs. An evergreen, the needles of this tree are dark green (light green when new growth), and slightly keeled. Spruce have rounded scales on their bark, peeling off bit by bit. They form a broad conical crown atop a straight trunk.

Identifying Features In Depth:

1. Form: A tall grand species, achieving heights from 140 to above 200 ft (49-70m), the tallest of all spruce in the world. Their trunks too may be immense buttressed at the base to 3-5ft (0.9-1.5m) in diameter, although sometimes far larger (the largest is almost 19ft or 5.8m wide). It forms a broad conical crown of open horizontal boughs tipped by dense foliage. Along the shoreline where they are exposed to frequent storms and high winds, as in the northern reaches of their range, they may take on a dense shrubby appearance.

2. Leaves: The leaves of this species are needlelike, sharper than most of our local conifers, growing in a bottlebrush pattern out of all sides of the trig and slightly keeled forward. They are 1.5-2.5cm in length and flattened (with distinct edges when rolled between the fingers). They are dark green.

3. Bark: The bark of young spruce is thin, smooth, and of a grayish color. As it ages it will develop scaly plates and may turn a purplish brown in color. Twigs are brown and stout, with peglike bases and rough exteriors (but a nice personality).

4. Reproductive Bodies: Cones of male and female born upon the same tree (monoecious), with the female cones being 2-3.5in (5-9cm) in length and of a cylindrical shape. They have a short stalk and are a light orange brown color, with long, stiff, papery, thin scales, rounded and toothed at the tips. The seeds are paired and winged and of a brownish color. Cones drop copiously from branch tips when ripe.

Historical Background: This tree has been coveted since colonization for its immense timber value. It its the main commercially harvested tree in Alaska and produces high grade lumber of very lightweight quality that made it immensely valuable for aircraft production, particularly during the world wars. This fact almost proved its undoing in the protected groves of Olympic National Park, and there were movements made during the time to log that old growth for the war effort in spite of its having fallen under protected status since 1909. A tree well adapted to wet rainy environments, it is less tolerant of drought compared to many interior spruce species, and when uncrowded may develop a thick crown of branches drooping nearly to the ground (not a safe growth pattern in a drier climate where fire is a feature of the ecosystem). The bark of this tree provides little protection against fire. Fortunately, in many of the regions where Sitka spruce reigns in western Washington and up to Alaska, fire has seldom or never been a factor in survival. In their temperate rainforest homes, nutrients and opportunities for establishment on the mossy ground are limited, and many spruce saplings (as with other trees in this climate) get their start on nurse logs, fallen trees whose timber holds the nutrients needed for survival. It is not uncommon for great trees to grow all in a line, their nurse tree long decayed but the evidence of her passing remains in the growth pattern of those trees she helped support. Indigenous peoples of the region made great use of the Sitka Spruce, the pliable roots being woven into baskets and rain hats, as well as turned into cord by heating them and pounding them to make them more pliable. The gum of this tree was chewed for pleasure and to treat throat and lung soreness. Roof shakes were used by native peoples and settlers alike. Since colonization it has been used in the construction of aircraft, as well as a myriad of other timber uses. Its lightweight and durable qualities make it ideal in the construction of doors, instruments, hatch coverings, and scaffolding. It is also immensely popular for use as paper pulp. It has the highest strength to weight ratio of any wood in the world. And yet, in spite of all of this economic value, there are major arguments to be made for the preservation of these forest giants as an important and spectacular part of their local ecosystems. Some of these trees have been scaled at 280ft (85m) in height, and they can live for as much as 800 years left undisturbed (although they have been known to achieve full height in as little as 100, very fast growing for a spruce. In spite of this fast growth rate, by the 1950s Spruce in the Pacific Northwest was being cut at a rate as much as 10 times faster than it could be replenished. Fortunately, at least one of the demands for this tree, that of the aircraft industry, has been significantly reduced in an era of more modern materials. In spite of this, greater protection of these trees will be necessary if future generations are to see the grand forests they have the potential to create.

Native Range: Sitka Spruce grow from the islands and slopes of Alaska down to the northern coast range of California. It seldom extends its range inland by more than a few dozen miles, but grows from sea level to elevations of about 3000 feet in Alaska or up to 5000 feet in Washington. In the southern range it is further restricted in distance from coast, requiring the cool wet air.