spruce

spruce, any plant of the genus Picea, evergreen trees or shrubs of the family Pinaceae (pine family) widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. The needles are angular in cross section, rather than flattened as in the related hemlocks and firs. The Norway spruce (P. abies), an important timber tree of Europe, is one of the most commonly cultivated evergreens. The Siberian spruce (P. obovata) grows in coniferous forests (taiga) of Russia and Siberia, the Oriental spruce (P. orientalis) is a major species of S Europe, and the yeddo spruce (P. jezoensis) of Manchuria and Japan is sometimes dwarfed and potted (see dwarf tree). North American spruces used for timber are the red spruce (P. rubens), white spruce (P. glauca), and black spruce (P. mariana) of the East; the Engelmann spruce (P. engelmanii) of the Rocky Mountain forests; and the Sitka spruce (P. sitchensis) of the Pacific forest belt. Numerous spruces are cultivated as ornamentals; the most popular North American garden spruce is the frosty- or silvery-blue-needled Colorado blue spruce (P. pungens). Commercially, spruces are of particular value as a major source of pulpwood for the manufacture of paper. Wood of the various species is usually light, soft, and straight-grained and has been used for interior and exterior construction work, boats, airplanes, and woodenware. The bark is sometimes used for tanning, and some species yield a gum resin. Spruce beer has been made from the young shoots of the red spruce and the black spruce. Native Americans in the West have used spruce gum for caulking, the inner bark for food, and strips of spruce for weaving watertight mats and baskets. Spruce is classified in the division Pinophyta, class Pinopsida, order Coniferales, family Pinaceae.

Any of about 40 species of evergreen ornamental and timber trees that make up the genus Picea (pine family), native to temperate and cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere. These pyramid-shaped trees have whorled branches and thin, scaly bark. The needlelike, spirally arranged leaves connect to their stems via a peglike woody base, which remains on the twig when the leaf falls. Tough, finely grained, resonant, and pliable, spruce wood is used for sounding boards in pianos and bodies of violins, as well as in construction, for boats and barrels, and as pulpwood. Common species throughout most of northern North America are black spruce (P. mariana), a source of spruce gum, and white spruce (P. glauca), a source of good timber. Blue, or Colorado spruce (P. pungens) is used as an ornamental because of its bluish leaves and symmetrical growth habit.

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Spruce is a town in Oconto County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 871 at the 2000 census.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 35.7 square miles (92.5 km²), of which, 35.2 square miles (91.1 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.4 km²) of it (1.54%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 871 people, 349 households, and 254 families residing in the town. The population density was 24.8 people per square mile (9.6/km²). There were 587 housing units at an average density of 16.7/sq mi (6.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.52% White, 1.26% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 1.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.61% of the population.

There were 349 households out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $35,658, and the median income for a family was $43,125. Males had a median income of $29,444 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,759. About 3.5% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

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