A Norway spruce usually serves as the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.
In the spirit of the season, the tree of the month for December 2009 marks the first time I have written about a conifer (cone-bearing tree). Although Norway spruce is not commonly thought of as a Christmas tree for use in our homes, it is one of the most common Christmas trees in Europe and is the species usually selected for large Christmas trees such as the one at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City and the national Christmas tree in Washington, D.C.
Although conifers are generally not used as street trees, Norway spruce is the most common conifer here in LaPorte, as it is popular on private property.
Although Norway spruce is not native to North America, it does very well here where planted and occasionally escapes into the wild. Norway spruce is usually planted as a windbreak near homes, though some smaller cultivars exist for ornamental purposes. Norway spruce can reach 90 feet tall in North America, and up to 3 feet in diameter at breast height (DBH). On sites with nutrient-rich soils and readily available moisture, it may grow vertically up to 3 feet per year for the first 20 years, after which growth slows and it is considered mature.
Norway spruce cones are a food source for many species of wildlife.
Norway spruce does not tolerate drought very well and does poorly in nutrient-deprived soils. As these are two defining characteristics of most treelawns, it is generally a poor choice as a street tree.
In its native European home, Norway spruce is a very important timber species since both natural stands and plantations grown on short rotations. Few pockets of virgin timber still exist. In North America, it is seldom used as a timber species, though it does provide habitat and a food source for a wide variety of wildlife from pine squirrels and rabbits to turkeys, hawks and owls.
Sometimes bucks use the trunks of Norway spruce to rub their antlers against.
Norway spruce is generally known as disease resistant and also has very few insect enemies. It is susceptible to cytospora canker, a fungus that usually does not directly kill a tree, but may severely weaken it. The most common problem a Norway spruce in northwest Indiana would encounter is the trunk becoming permanently scarred from a buck rub, and the lower branches being eaten by rabbits over hard winters. I can’t remember the last time I saw an unhealthy Norway spruce.
Norway spruces are usually available each spring at the City of LaPorte Tree Commission’s annual Arbor Day Tree Giveaway. Arbor Day is always the fourth Friday in April, and the tree giveaway is the following Saturday at the North parking lot of Kesling Park.
KEITH O’HERRIN is the City Forester for the City of LaPorte. He can be found at the Park and Recreation Office at 250 Pine Lake Ave. or reached at 326-9600.
