[Mike Collins]

I have yet to see the recent movie, Aviator, but Howard Hughes' airplane, the Spruce Goose, survives as a lasting legacy of the uses made of this tree. During WW I several thousand men were enlisted in the Spruce Service here in the Northwest to harvest Sitka spruce (Pinea sitchensis). The wood was used in construction of aircraft for England, France, and the United States in what was then called The Great War. Much of the timber was rived at a "cut up camp" in Fort Vancouver before being shipped by train to airplane factories. The wood was chosen because of its relative strength to its weight. The weight of lbs/cu ft of Douglas fir is 34 whereas Sitka spruce is 27. The wood is stiff, comparatively strong, and flawfree. It has also been used for ladders, folding bleachers, and racing shells. The propeller of the planes were made of hardwoods, principally Black Walnut. The tree is still in high demand, unfortunately often by timber rustlers, for use in musical instruments due to its high resonance quality. It has also been used as the sounding boards to guide ships through fog-bound waters.

[Jamin Smitchger]

I am sorry, but what do sitka spruce look like. Do they have a pitchy cone that is sort of blackish colored.

[peppersteak'n'ale]

here: http://community.webshots.com/photo/125212458/125220342tEOPUG

[NWHiker Whipping Boy]

I have always wanted to goto see the spruce goose. Great looking building

[Mike Collins]

Yes, a black pitchy cone that points upwards. Squirrels have the habit of gnawing through the branch several inches before the cone and letting the cone then fall to the ground. Once on the ground they can more easily pull off the scales of the cone to get at the nut. You will often see small piles of scales where they have been active. If you hike past an area where you notice these branches on the ground stop and pick some up. The squirrels are quite territorial and will brazenly come down from the trees to "chase" you away from their stash.

[greg]

Sitka spruce is also used for the topsheet of fine acoustic guitars, since its tensile qualities generate ideal vibrations for projecting sound. It is a very cool tree that thrives in wet coastal eniviroments, with broad, sweeping branches. Some of the finest specimens grow on the peninsula along the Bogachiel, Hoh, Queets and Quinault Rivers. Very prickly needles if you've ever grabbed a branch while whacking brush along those rivers.

[salish]

Interesting. I saw the Spruce Goose when it was in Long Beach CA., and it's pretty amazing. Hughes was an amazing guy, too. I recall reading somewhere that the guys at the Boeing Museum of Flight used spruce to restore several of the vintage airplanes on display there. I'm somewhat familar with traditional wood bows and bowmaking, and I wonder if spruce has been used by bowyers. I've never heard of it, but given it's strength to weight ratio that Mike has mentioned it would seem to be a good wood to use in a lamination. A fantastic wood for bows is the pacific yew tree, and the other top choice for bowmaking is Osage, but most are laminated with another wood for strength, performance, etc. I have a bow that is made from cherry wood and backed with a strip of hickory, for strength.

[Mike Collins]

Osage is found in Missouri and Oklahoma. Has it been shown that the wood was traded to these areas? That would be unusual.

[salish]

[Stones]

The real Spruce Goose was constructed mostly of laminated birch. Sitka spruce was used in aircraft frames as in the Spruce Railroad hike reported by our Karen. Spruce Railroad Hike I picked up a classic book on trees published in 1908 and the photos show the section on Sitka spruce.

[Mike Collins]

I am all washed up with the cones. I had envisioned them as being upright.

[reststep]

I will have to check my book but I think the spruce service is what brought Herb Crisler to this area.

[aestivate]

[Phil]

[Phil]