Technical guidelines are targeted to practical forest managers and provide summarized information on the biology and ecology of tree species, distribution ranges, importance and use, genetic knowledge, threats to genetic diversity and recommendations for long-term genetic conservation. For the full list of Technical guidelines produced, please visit http://www.euforgen.org/publications/technical_guidelines.htm

European Forest Genetic Resources Programme

International Plant Genetic Resources Institute

Skrøppa, T.

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Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.)Karst) is monoecious, havingboth male and female flowers onthe same individuals, but on sep-arate organs. The reproduc-tive buds are initiatedduring the previousyear’s growth season.The temperature condi-tions play an importantrole in both floral initia-tion and development ofreproductive buds, and inseed development and matura-tion. Unfavourable temperatureconditions may explain whyseed crops are both rare andirregular far north and at highaltitudes. In seed orchards,flowering has occurred less fre-quently than was expected.The highest proportion ofspruce seeds is produced bycross-fertilization, both betweenneighbouring trees and amongdistant individuals in the same orin nearby stands. Spruce pollenis able to move over long dis-tances, a fact that can causePicea abiesEUFORGENThese Technical Guidelines are intended to assist those who cherish the valuable Norwayspruce genepool and its inheritance, through conserving valuable seed sources or use inpractical forestry. The focus is on conserving the genetic diversity of the species at the Europeanscale. The recommendations provided in this module should be regarded as a commonly agreedbasis to be complemented and further developed in local, national or regional conditions. TheGuidelines are based on the available knowledge of the species and on widely acceptedmethods for the conservation of forest genetic resources.Norway spruceTore SkrøppaNorwegian Forest Research Institute, Ås, NorwayTechnical guidelines for genetic conservation and useBiology and ecologyconsiderable gene flow amongpopulations. The actual rate ofself-fertilization in natural popu-lations may vary consid-erably between trees,but estimates showthat only a small pro-portion of filled seeds(less than 1%) mayoriginate from self-fertil-ization. Inbred spruce treesgenerally have reduced fitnesscompared with their outbred rel-atives.Norway spruce trees undergoa rather long juvenile period dur-ing which they will not flower andset seeds. In the open canopy,sexual maturity will generally bereached at an age of 20-30 years, while it occurs later inclosed stands. Most spruceseeds are dispersed close to themother tree, but some also overlonger distances. Under naturalregeneration the access to soilmoisture seems to be the mostcritical factor for germination andestablishment. Natural regenera-tion is also dependent on thespecies composition of the bot-tom and field layer. The mostproductive spruce forests seemto be the most problematic fornatural regeneration.Picea abies is a shade-toler-ant tree species that can grow ona variety of site types, in both dryand wet habitats. It reaches itsbest growth on deep nutritioussoils with enough fresh moisture.It can grow in single stands or inmixtures with other conifers ordeciduous trees.The total natural distribution ofP. abies covers 31 degrees of lat-itude from the Balkan Peninsula(latitude 41°27’N) to its northern-most extension near the Chatan-ga River, Siberia (latitude72°15’N). Longitudinal range isfrom 5°27’E in the French Alpsto 154°E at the Sea of Okhotsk inEastern Siberia. The vertical dis-tribution is from sea level and toaltitudes above 2300 m in theItalian Alps. Outside the natu-ral distribution the specieshas been widely planted, inparticular in Central Europeand in Scandinavia.The natural Euro-pean range of P. abiescan be divided intothree major regionsas the result of post-glacial re-coloniza-tion: the Nordic-Bal t ic-Russian,the Hercyno-Carpathian andAlpine regionsPicea abies is the most econom-ically important conifer treespecies in Europe. It has showngood yield and quality perform-ance on very different site condi-tions, and this favoured thespecies over a long period. Thespecies has a long history of cul-tivation in Central Europe andhas been seededand planted veryintensely sincethe middle ofthe 19th centu-ry. This haschanged naturalforests into artifi-cial forests and hasled to the introduc-tion of the speciesfar outside its natu-ral range, both incountries where itoccurs naturally, e.g.in Germany and Nor-way, and in newcountries such asDenmark, Belgiumand Ireland. To someextent, Norway sprucealso has been plantedin North America.Picea abies pro-duces high-quality timberand its long fibres make itimportant for the pulp andpaper industry. The speciesalso has high ecologicalimportance, being a keyspecies in northern regions ofEurope.Distribution Importance and usePicea abies Piceaorway sprucePicea abiesNorway sprucePicea abiesNorway sprucePicea abiesNorway The genetic variability in P. abieshas been studied in provenanceand progeny trials, often plantedat several sites, and by geneticmarkers such as isozymes andDNA markers. The neutral mark-ers reveal a great genetic vari-ability within populations.Some differentiation occursbetween populations derivedfrom different glacial refugia,and appears to reflect theirpost-glacial evolutionary his-tory. Central Europeanprovenances appear tohave somewhat reducedgenetic diversity com-pared with those from East-ern Europe and Scandi-navia.The most pronouncedadaptive patterns that have beendemonstrated in provenance tri-als relate to the populations’responses to the climatic condi-tions. In northern Europe thesepatterns of variability often canbe related to latitude and longi-tude, and with degree of conti-nentality, and will sometimesvary clinally. They are expressedby variation in the timing andduration of the annual growthperiod and the correspondingrelease and development offrost-hardiness in spring andautumn, respectively. Theseannual growth patterns haveimplications for frost-hardiness,growth potential and wood qual-ity traits, and are important forproper choice of reforestationmaterials. At the same time thereis large variability for the sametraits within natural populations.In Central Europe, the regionalvariation patterns are less clear,owing to a long history of plant-ing and provenance transfers.In some areas where maladaptedprovenances of P. abies havebeen planted, damage andreduced yield have occurred.During the last two decades thespecies has suffered severelywith the forest decline in CentralEurope, resulting in stands withhigh percentages of trees withneedle loss, or completelydestroyed stands. The healthproblems of the Central Euro-pean spruce forest and thereduced possibilities for recre-ation in young spruce standshave to some extent reduced itspopularity in reforestation, in par-ticular outside its natural range.Fragmentation of former continu-ous forest areas is another threatfor the genetic diversity of thespecies, and its responseto global warming isuncertain. The most seriousbiotic threats to P. abies areroot rot (Heterobasidion anno-sum) and bark beetles (Ipstypographus).Threats togenetic diversityGenetic knowledgea abies Picea abiesprucePicea abiesNorway sprucePicea abiesNorway sprucePicea abiesNorway sprucGenetic conservation of P. abiesis done by proper use of refor-estation materials and by specificin situ and ex situ conservationactivities. In reforestation, theminimum requirement should bethat the origin of the reproductivematerial is known, and its adap-tive properties should be appro-priate for the ecological condi-tions at the regeneration site. Asystem for the control of repro-ductive materials should beestablished and recommen-dations for proper use of dif-ferent materials should be devel-oped. The OECD Scheme and EUregulations provide basic defini-tions of different categories ofreproductive materials. TheP. abies seed samples of recom-mended seed lots for practicalreforestation should be harvestedin years with abundant floweringand seed production and bestored in sufficient amounts inseed banks.In situ conservation ofP. abies is often successfullydone in protected areas. In sev-eral countries, however, protect-ed areas alone do not fulfil theactual needs and requirementsfor the conservation of geneticresources of forest trees. Theremay therefore be a need for genereserve forests, established innatural stands and managedaccording to silvicultural prac-tice, such as thinning and har-vesting, ensuring the potentialfor successful regeneration. Theobjective is to maintain thepotential for continuous futureevolution of the population. Ithas been suggested that genereserve forests should coverareas of at least 100 ha, butsmaller areas can also serve thepurpose. Such forests mayconsist of a mixture of dif-ferent species, if that istheir natural species com-position. In areas whereP. abies is not a nativespecies, it may be desirableto conserve the genetic varia-tion of well-adapted “landraces”in gene reserve forests.Establishment of ex situ con-servation plantations of P. abiesmay be necessary in order toconserve the genetic variabilityof threatened populations thatcannot be maintained at the orig-inal site. The objective will be toestablish a new population thatmaintains as much as possible ofthe original genetic variabilityand allows for long-term adapta-tion to the local conditions at theplanting site. It can be estab-lished by planting of seedlings,but also by direct sowing or veg-etative propagules. Sizes of2–5 ha are generally recom-mended.Specific genotypes ofP. abies are conserved ex situ asvegetative propagules, in mostcases as grafts, in clone banksor clonal archives. Several repli-cates should be made of eachclone to reduce the risk of lossdue to fire and other disasters.Clonal archives are static geneconservation units, with no natu-ral regeneration intended in theplantation. They often containmembers of breeding popula-tions that are characterizedgenetically and are used to pro-vide scions to be grafted in seedorchards or to make controlledcrosses. All populations belong-ing to a breeding programme,such as seed orchards and prog-eny tests, are important geneconservation units as they con-tain materials with known genet-ic properties that can be used togenerate new populations withknown adaptive and wood-pro-duction characteristics. Breedingpopulations organized in a sys-tem of multiple populations atdifferent sites have particular val-ue for conserving genetic vari-ability bothwithin andb e t w e e np o p u l a -tions.es Picea abies PicePicea abiesNorway sprucePicea abiesNorway sprucePicea abiesNorway sprucePiceGuidelines for geneticconservation and useField experiments with prove-nances, families and clones ofP. abies have provided importantgenetic information for bothbreeding and conservation activ-ities. Although such trials werenot designed with gene conser-vation in mind, they are impor-tant reservoirs of characterizedgenetic variability and should bemanaged and maintained aslong as possible and be consid-ered part of a national conserva-tion strategy.Any type of forest reproduc-tive material of P. abies (seeds,pollen, vegetative parts) can beconserved in genebanks. Thiswill be a complementary methodto the ex situ and in situ planta-tions, and will, apart from genet-ic changes due to loss of viabili-ty, conserve the original geneticstructures.Picea abies PiceNorway sprucePicea abiesNorway sprucePicea abiesNorway sprucePicea abiesNDistribution range of Norway sprucewww.euforgen.orgMore informationea abies Picea These Technical Guidelines wereproduced by members of theEUFORGEN Conifers Network.The objective of the Network is toidentify minimum genetic conser-vation requirements in the longterm in Europe, in order to reducethe overall conservation cost andto improve the quality of stan-dards in each country.Citation: Skrøppa, T. 2003.EUFORGEN Technical Guidelinesfor genetic conservation and usefor Norway spruce (Picea abies).International Plant GeneticResources Institute, Rome, Italy.6 pages.Drawings: Picea abies, ClaudioGiordano. © IPGRI, 2003.ISBN 92-9043-569-0EUFORGEN Secretariat c/o IPGRIVia dei Tre Denari, 472/a00057 Maccarese (Fiumicino)Rome, ItalyTel. (+39)066118251Fax: (+39)0661979661euf_secretariat@cgiar.orgNorway sprucePicea abiesNorway sprucePicea abiesNorway sprucePicea abiesNorwEUFORGENSelected bibliographyKoski, V., T. Skrøppa, L. Paule, H. Wolf and J. Turok. 1997. Technical guidelinesfor genetic conservation of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst). Interna-tional Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome, Italy. 42 p.Lower Saxony Forest Research Institute. 1979. Proceedings of the IUFROJoint Working Parties on Norway Spruce Provenances and Norway SpruceBreeding, Bucharest. 486 p.Rhone, V. (ed.) 1993. Norway spruce provenances and breeding. Proceedingsof the IUFRO S2.2-11 Symposium Latvia 1993. 263 p.Schmidt-Vogt, H. 1977. Die Fichte Band I. Taxonomie–Verbreitung–Morpholo-gie–Ökologie-Waldgesellscahften. Verlag Paul Parey, Hamburg and Berlin.647 p.Schmidt-Vogt, H. 1986. Die Fichte Band II/1. Wachstum-Züchtung-Boden-Umwelt-Holz. Verlag Paul Parey, Hamburg and Berlin. 563 p.Schmidt-Vogt, H. 1989. Die Fichte Band II/2. Krankheiten-Schäden-Fichten-sterben. Verlag Paul Parey, Hamburg and Berlin. 607 p.Stener, L.-G. and M. Werner. (eds.) 1989. Norway spruce; Provenances, Breed-ing, and Genetic Conservation. Proceedings of the IUFRO working partymeeting, S2.02-11, in Sweden 1988. Report No. 11. The Institute for For-est Improvement, Uppsala. 336 p.The distribution map was compiled by members of the EUFORGENConifers Network based on an earlier map published by H. Schmidt-Vogtin 1977 (Die Fichte, Verlag Paul Parey, Hamburg and Berlin, p.647).

Norway spruce (Picea abies)

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Norway spruce (Picea abies)

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