Knowra Picea engelmannii Picea engelmannii Picea engelmannii, or Engelmann spruce, is an evergreen conifer native to high-elevation mountains of western North America. It is recognized by its narrow crown, drooping branches, and sharp, four-sided needles.
Picea : Picea is a genus of evergreen conifers commonly called spruces, native to temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Engelmann spruce is one of the genus’s high-elevation North American species.
Wood : Wood is the structural tissue formed by the secondary growth of trees and other woody plants. Engelmann spruce is harvested for light, straight-grained timber.
Rocky Mountains : The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range extending through western North America. They contain much of Engelmann spruce’s native range.
Climate change : Climate change is a long-term shift in average temperatures and weather patterns, driven today largely by human greenhouse-gas emissions. Warming can alter the elevation range and disturbance patterns of Engelmann spruce forests.
Abies lasiocarpa : Abies lasiocarpa, or subalpine fir, is a western North American conifer common in high-elevation forests. It frequently grows alongside Engelmann spruce in subalpine forests.
Pinaceae : Pinaceae is the conifer family that includes spruces, firs, pines, and several other genera. This family places Engelmann spruce among related resin-bearing trees.
Spruce–fir forest : A spruce–fir forest is a cool, high-elevation forest dominated by spruce and fir trees. Engelmann spruce is a defining canopy species in many western spruce–fir forests.
Cascade Range : The Cascade Range is a volcanic mountain chain extending from British Columbia through Washington and Oregon into California. Engelmann spruce grows at high elevations in parts of the Cascades.
Treeline : Treeline is the upper or polar boundary beyond which trees cannot grow as a continuous forest. Engelmann spruce can grow near the upper forest limit in western mountains.
Pseudotsuga menziesii : Pseudotsuga menziesii, or Douglas-fir, is a large conifer native to western North America. Douglas-fir occupies lower and warmer forest zones near parts of Engelmann spruce’s range.
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