In 1991, the white spruce was proclaimed Manitoba's provincial tree emblem. The white Spruce was selected based on its extensive range, its contribution to Manitoba's development, and its use in landscaping.

Identification

The white spruce is a coniferous tree that grows 24 - 28 m in height with a trunk 61 - 91 cm in diameter.

It has a thick triangular spire-like crown. The lower branches droop slightly yet have upturned tips. The bark of the white spruce is grey-brown and the needles are 1.5 - 2 cm long, square in cross-section, stiff, and blue-green in colour.

Seed cones are 2.5 - 6 cm in length, scales are fan-shaped and seeds are winged.

Range

White spruce grows in most of the climatic and environmental zones found across the province. The tree grows best in moist, acidic (pH of 4.0 - 5.5) loamy soils.

It is a long-lived tree with an average life expectancy of 200 years. Under ideal conditions a white spruce may reach 300 years and a few trees of this vintage can be found in Manitoba's Duck Mountain Provincial Park today!

Pests and Disease

The most common diseases of the white spruce are needle and stem rusts, root diseases, trunk rots and mistletoe (Arceuthobium pusillum).

Insect pests include bark beetles, wood-boring insects, weevils, spruce budworm and yellowheaded spruce sawfly.

Wildlife Habitat

White spruce is an important food source for the spruce grouse which feeds entirely on spruce needles in the winter. Chickadees, nuthatches, white-winged crossbills and pine siskin remove seed from open cones or eat the seeds off the ground. Red squirrels clip twigs and feed on the buds in the spring, and eat white spruce seeds. Porcupines often eat the bark of young trees, and black bears strip the bark to get to the sweet sapwood.