Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)

The largest spruce in the world. The tree that built the Spitfire.

Picea sitchensis, the Sitka Spruce, is the largest spruce species on Earth and the fifth largest conifer in the world by height, native to a narrow coastal belt stretching from northern California to Alaska where the combination of cool temperatures, high rainfall, and persistent fog creates conditions of extraordinary tree growth. It can exceed 300 feet in height and 16 feet in trunk diameter. It also produces the highest strength-to-weight ratio wood of any conifer in the world, which is why it was the wood of choice for aircraft construction through both World Wars, why it is still preferred for violin soundboards and guitar tops, and why Sitka Spruce forests were considered strategic military resources. If you are looking to buy Sitka Spruce seeds or grow this magnificent coastal conifer from seed, this is a tree that shaped the history of flight and still shapes the finest musical instruments in the world.

• The largest spruce species on Earth, capable of exceeding 300 feet in its native coastal habitat
• Produces the highest strength-to-weight ratio wood of any conifer, historically critical for aircraft construction
• The preferred tonewood for violin, guitar, and piano soundboards among the world's finest instrument makers
• Fast-growing for a large conifer in cool, moist conditions, establishing quickly in suitable climates
• Critical wildlife tree of the Pacific coast old-growth forest, supporting hundreds of dependent species

Things you probably did not know about the Sitka Spruce

The Sitka Spruce built the Spitfire and the Mosquito. During World War II, Sitka Spruce was a classified strategic material in Britain. The de Havilland Mosquito, one of the most effective aircraft of the war, was built almost entirely from Sitka Spruce and birch plywood, which gave it a strength-to-weight advantage over metal-framed aircraft of the same period. The British government controlled Sitka Spruce stocks with the same seriousness as steel and aluminum. Much of the timber came from Pacific Northwest old-growth forests.

The world's finest violins are made from Sitka Spruce. The Stradivarius violins used European Spruce, but contemporary violin makers working with the best available materials frequently choose Sitka Spruce for soundboards because of its superior strength-to-weight ratio and acoustic responsiveness. Taylor Guitars, Martin Guitars, and other premier acoustic guitar makers use Sitka Spruce for their top-of-line instrument tops. The wood's ability to vibrate efficiently across a wide frequency range is unmatched by any alternative.

Old-growth Sitka Spruce roots support entire ecosystems. The massive buttressed roots of old-growth Sitka Spruces along the Pacific coast create microhabitats for mosses, ferns, fungi, salamanders, and small mammals that require the specific humid, sheltered conditions these root structures provide. The loss of old-growth Sitka Spruce forest is not simply a loss of large trees but a loss of entire communities of organisms that depend on structures that take centuries to develop.

It grows faster in plantation conditions than almost any other spruce. Sitka Spruce has been planted in commercial forestry plantations across Britain, Ireland, and Scandinavia because it grows faster in those climates than any other large conifer available for timber production. Plantations established in Scotland in the 1920s and 1930s are now mature forests producing timber in volumes that no other species in that climate could have generated in the same time period.

Growing Details

• Botanical Name: Picea sitchensis
• Stratification: Recommended, 30 to 60 days cold stratification
• USDA Zones: 6 to 8, thrives in cool, moist, coastal climates
• Soil: Moist, well-drained, acidic, rich in organic matter
• Light: Full sun to partial shade
• Height: 100 to 200 feet in cultivation, larger in native range
• Spread: 25 to 35 feet
• Growth Rate: Fast in suitable climates, 2 to 4 feet per year with adequate moisture

Plant it in a cool, moist site in the Pacific Northwest or a similar climate. In the right conditions, nothing grows faster or bigger.