Picea glauca (Moench) Voss

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Picea glauca (Moench) Voss
23 photos.
The "white spruce" is the prime lumber tree of interior Alaska. It thrives on non-permafrosted soils
but is not usually found on permafrost. The tree is pyramidal in shape and the young trees often end up guarding
the Christmas presents. It is usually found adjacent to large streams or south-facing upland sites and mature
specimens may reach heights in excess of 100 ft. Photos 1-17 taken in 2008. USFS Publication


1. Photo taken in late May of a cluster of white spruce growing on thin soil over decomposed granite.	2. Close up of tree at left	3. Even closer view of the tree showing the presence of needles on the trunk and side-branches.
4. Another close view of last year's cones on the same tree.	5. Cones from a previous year.	6. Leaf buds on a tree growing on decomposed granite with very little soil.
7. Partially open cones in an older tree.	8. Red female cones and smaller brown male cones on the lower branches of a mature tree on a decomposed granite hillside which was totally barren in 1939.	9. Cones on same tree one week later. One of the cones has begun to open. At this stage the cone is quite moist.
10. Small spruce growing on decomposed granite. This is a wind-swept area and the damage from wind is evident in the photo.	11. Despite yellowing of the needles the tree is developing cones as this closer view shows.	12. Still closer view showing the narrow, erect female cones.
13. Extreme Photoshop crop of female cones.	14. Cones in late June on a lower branch of a large spruce. Cone color may be red or green and does not indicate degree of maturity.	15. Mid-July photo of cones in the tree shown in 8 and 9. Note that they are green.
16. Pair of spruce photographed in early June.	17. Closer view of the pair showing that the cones on the tree to the left are shorter than those on the tree to the right.	18. February 28, 2009. Top of a tree. Note that the cones have opened dueing the winter and are generally at the tips of the branches.
19. February 28, 2009. A closer view of the tree in photo 18.	20. February 28, 2009. A section of a small tree with very large cones.	21. September 8, 2009. A cone from the tree in photo 20, collected in February.
22. May 31, 2011. Typical white spruce. Cones are formed in areas of new growth, mainly at the top of the tree and at the ends of the branches.	23 May 31, 2011. Close-up of a lower section of the tree in photo 22. Note the cones in the new growth areas.	Photos 1-17 taken southeast from Circle Hot Springs at elevations from 1900-3000 feet. Photos 18-21taken south of Central 65° 33.84' N, 144° 48.46' W Elev. 950 ft. Photos 22 and 23 taken 1 mile south of Ketchem Dome. Latitude: N 65° 26' 36.434" Longitude: W 144° 48' 1.0736" Altitude: 829.76 m.