Ontario's Tree Atlas: Black Spruce (Picea mariana)

Needles
Photo by: Daniel Tigner,
Canadian Forest Tree Essences
Bark
Photo by: Daniel Tigner,
Canadian Forest Tree Essences
Cones
Photo by: Daniel Tigner,
Canadian Forest Tree Essences
Tree
Photo by: Daniel Tigner,
Canadian Forest Tree Essences

Did you know?
The red squirrel eats the tips of the black spruce, which can create a thick dense clump of branches at the top of the tree.

The black spruce is called a transcontinental species – it’s found from one end of Canada to the other, and all across Ontario. It has short dark bluish-green needles, which are blunt on the end.

 

When grown on high and dry ground, black spruce trees are taller and thicker.  When it grows in wetlands, the tree is much smaller. Trees grown in wetlands can reach 200 years of age.

 

Black spruce cones are egg shaped, 2 to 3 centimetres long, and are dark brown. They are found at the top of the tree and may stay on the tree for up to 30 years. 

 

Size:  Between 20 and 30 metres tall, trunk usually between 23 and 26 centimetres in diameter
Moisture:  Tolerates different moisture levels
Shade:  Tolerates partial shade
Soil: Grows in a variety of soils

 

Where you can plant this tree in Ontario:

 

  • Addington Central
  • Addington Northern
  • Addington Southern
  • Algoma Eastern
  • Algoma Southern
  • Belleville Northern
  • Belleville Southern
  • Bruce Eastern
  • Bruce Northern
  • Bruce Western
  • Dufferin Eastern
  • Dufferin Southern
  • Dufferin Western
  • Dundas
  • Durham Central
  • Durham Northern
  • Durham Southern
  • Frontenac Central
  • Frontenac Northern
  • Frontenac Southern
  • Glengarry
  • Grenville Central
  • Grenville Eastern
  • Grenville Western
  • Grey
  • Haliburton Northern
  • Haliburton Southern
  • Haliburton Western
  • Halton Northern
  • Halton Western
  • Hamilton Northern
  • Hastings Central
  • Hastings Northern
  • Hastings Southern
  • Hastings Southwestern
  • Huron Central
  • Huron Eastern
  • Huron Western
  • Kawartha Lakes Central
  • Kawartha Lakes Northern
  • Kawartha Lakes Southern
  • Kingston Eastern
  • Kingston Western
  • Lanark Eastern
  • Lanark Western
  • Leeds Central
  • Leeds Eastern
  • Leeds Western
  • Lennox Central
  • Lennox Northern
  • Lennox Southern
  • Manitoulin
  • Middlesex Northern
  • Muskoka
  • Nipissing Eastern
  • Nipissing Northern
  • Nipissing Southern
  • Northumberland
  • Ottawa Eastern
  • Ottawa Southern
  • Ottawa Western
  • Oxford Northern
  • Parry Sound Central
  • Parry Sound Eastern
  • Parry Sound Northern
  • Peel Central
  • Peel Western
  • Perth Northern
  • Perth Southern
  • Peterborough Central
  • Peterborough Northern
  • Peterborough Southern
  • Prescott
  • Prince Edward City
  • Quinte West Northern
  • Quinte West Southern
  • Renfrew Eastern
  • Renfrew Northern
  • Renfrew Southern
  • Russell
  • Simcoe Northern
  • Simcoe Southern
  • Stormont
  • Waterloo Northern
  • Wellington Northern
  • Wellington Southern
  • York Central
  • York Northern

Planting tip:  The black spruce is an adaptable tree that grows well in a variety of soils, moisture levels, and light conditions.  More tips...