Sitka spruce

Picea sitchensis

Tall conifer of the Pacific Northwest coastal fog belt, reaching 60 m, with timber that combines high strength-to-weight with exceptional resonance — the principal premium tonewood for acoustic guitar and piano soundboards.

Hardiness ratings

Sitka spruce hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 6–8 −23.3 °C to −6.7 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H7 down to −20 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 6–8 −18 °C to −1 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 1–4 −15 °C to 5 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Premium tonewood — principal acoustic guitar, piano, and violin soundboard timber, prized for its strength-to-weight ratio and resonant quality
  • Important commercial plantation timber in cool wet maritime climates including western Scotland and Ireland
  • Demands cool moist temperate to subarctic conditions — sulks in continental and warm climates
  • Major timber tree across both western Canada and the British Isles in plantation forestry

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Sitka spruce against your zones

Reference

Sitka spruce on Wikipedia