It is a species that can be described as half-shade tolerant: Norway spruce regeneration can survive for over a century under cover and then recover if brought into the light. It does not tolerate drought and tends to take refuge on north-facing slopes, which are generally damper.
Norway spruce is one of the forest species typical of the subalpine belt.
For a comparison, also read the fact sheet on the silver fir.
Fact sheet
- Range and distribution
- The range is divided into two parts: - northern: it stretches across the whole of Siberia as far as the Scandinavian peninsula - central European: it extends along the Alps, the Sudetes, the Carpathians, the Transylvanian Alps and the Rhodope Mountains. There is also a progressive fragmentation towards the south, with relict populations in the northern Apennines and lowland relicts in Germany. In Italy it is found in the woods of the subalpine and montane belts of the Alps, becoming progressively rarer towards the west. The relict Apennine populations are found in Tuscany, in the Abetone forest, and in the Reggio Emilia Apennines at Passo del Cerreto.
- Ecology
It is a species that can be described as half-shade tolerant: Norway spruce regeneration can survive for over a century under cover and then recover if brought into the light. It does not tolerate drought and tends to take refuge on north-facing slopes, which are generally damper.
This susceptibility to water shortage is explained by its shallow root system, which does not allow it to look for water in the deeper layers. It likes acid, loose soils, but also adapts to other types of soil.
- Habit
The tree has a conical shape, with branches that take on a typical drooping, festoon-like habit. Depending on the site, its height can vary from 10 to 30 – 40 m.
- Leaves
The leaves are short (about 2 cm), prickly, dark green and arranged in a spiral around the (reddish) twigs. The leaves grow from small pegs, characteristic of all spruces, which remain after the leaves have fallen, making the twig rough to the touch.
- Flowers and fruit
The strobili, commonly known as cones, are long, hanging and with rounded scales. When ripe they open, letting the seeds fall by gravity.
- Bark
Smooth and brown, it tends to crack with age.
- Uses
- Norway spruce is the typical species (but not the only one) for producing Christmas trees. The timber is of good quality and is used in building, joinery and furniture making. A special assortment is “resonance spruce” timber, used to build the soundboards of musical instruments. The best timber for this kind of production comes from slowly grown trees with regular growth rings, in the lower subalpine belt.