Steve and Bob: I have red spruce growing on my timberland in the mountains of western MD. On the higher mountains in West Virginia, red spruce grows forming what local people call "balds." These high mountain top red spruce forests can be very dense.
On my timberland they grow mixed with hardwoods and hemlock. I have some fine old ones over 2 feet in diameter and 80 or maybe 90 feet tall. Beautiful trees. One problem is there is some kind of needle cast disease that causes the lower limbs to die. In the past they were often dug up from the woods in the area and planted around houses. They did very well, but the old NS planted at about the same time are much larger, and often more beautiful. One of the good things about NS it that they will keep their lower limbs, if they are not in dense shade, as long as the tree lives. Also, the red spruce planted as ornamentals around houses in the mountains of western MD have a problem with sticky sap exuding from the trunks. If you have children, they need to be taught to stay away from these trees. At the Virginia Arboretum they have planted a few red spruce recently. I will watch how they do, but I am not optimistic. These trees may do better further north in Mass or maine. --Gaines Mcmartin -------------------------------------------------
