How to Identify Red Spruce

Look for an evergreen species of spruce that stands between 50 and 80 feet when mature. The trunk diameters of a red spruce are in the range of 12 to 24 inches. Often, a red spruce features a conical crown of branches. The tree grows in an upright, straight manner, according to the Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation.

Examine the evergreen needles on a red spruce. They measure from 1/2 to 5/8 inch in length. The needles fan out on the twig from all sides, with sharp points. Red spruce needles are rigid and stiff, with a shiny green color and minute white lines running their length. In cross section, they have four sides.

Observe the twigs on a red spruce, looking for minute reddish hairs. You may require a hand lens to detect these hairs, but they are a key in distinguishing red spruce from others of its genus, states the United States Department of Agriculture. The twigs on a red spruce are orange-brown.

Inspect the bark of a red spruce tree. The surface is a grayish-brown color, but an orange-red shade lies beneath that outer coating. Red spruce bark is thin and has a scaly texture.

Study the cones to aid in your identification of the tree. The cones are cylindrical, with lengths between 1 ¼ and 1 ½ inches. Red spruce cones are chestnut-brown, hanging downward from the branches via a very short stalk. The seeds fall out of the cone in autumn, and the cones drop off the red spruce in winter. The similar black spruce tree has a range overlapping the red spruce, but its cones are dull gray and they stay on the tree longer.