From Scandinavia to the Alps and the Carpathians, the Norway spruce forms dark, dense forests. It can grow up to 50 metres tall, with a narrow, pointed crown and branches that on many trees hang down like curtains.

Outside its natural range it has been planted all over Europe, including the Ardennes, because it grows fast and yields straight, light timber. You know that timber as spruce, or in the trade as whitewood.

Botanical

Picea abies

Origin

Northern and central Europe, in the mountains

Height

usually 30–50 m

Needles

single, four-sided, 1–2.5 cm, on woody pegs

Wood

spruce (whitewood) — yellowish white, no visible heartwood

Durability

class 4

To be fair: spruce plantations outside the mountains are struggling. Dry, hot summers weaken the trees, and the European spruce bark beetle can then kill entire stands. Many monocultures are being converted into mixed forest.