This book takes a fresh look at the most disliked tree in Britain and Ireland, explaining the reasons it was introduced and why it became ubiquitous in the archipelagos of north-west Europe.
Sitka spruce has contributed to the Pacific Coast landscapes of North America for over ten millennia. For the Tlingit First Nationit is the most important tree in terms of spiritual relationships, art, and products in daily use such as canoes, containers, fish-traps and sweet cakes. Since the late nineteenth century it has also been the most important tree to the timber industry of west coast North America.
The historical background to the modern use of Sitka spruce is explored. The lack of cultural reference may explain negative public response when tree-less uplands in the UK and reland were afforested with introduced conifer species, particularly Sitka spruce, following two World Wars. The multi-purpose forestry of today recognises that Sitka spruce is the most important tree to the timber industry and to a public which uses its many products but fails to recognise the link between growing trees and bought goods.
The apparently featureless and wildlife-less Sitka spruce plantations in UK uplands are gradually developing recognisable ecological features. Sitka spruce has the potential to form temperate rainforests this century as well as to produce much-needed goods for society. The major contribution of Sitka spruce to landscapes and livelihoods in western North America is, by contrast, widely accepted. But conserving natural, old-growth forests, sustaining the needs of First Nations, and producing materials for the modern timber industry will be an intricate task.

• Cover
• Title
• Dedication
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword by Richard Oram
• Foreword by Richard Carstensen
• Geography
• Acknowledgements
• 1. The Most Hated Tree?
• 2. ‘The Tree From Sitka’
• 3. Origin, Migration and Survival on the Edge
• 4. At Home in North American Rainforests
• 5. Sitka Spruce in the Lives of First Nations
• 6. Prehistoric Lives and Woodlands in Britain and Ireland
• 7. Woodland History and Britain’s Need for Sitka Spruce
• 8. Realisation: New Trees for New Woodlands
• 9. Ships, Surveyors, Scurvy and Spruces
• 10. Journeys and Experiments for Seeds and People
• 11. From Rare Ornamental to Upland Carpet
• 12. Peat: The Final Frontier
• 13. Perceptions
• 14. Contribution to Modern Societies
• 15. Plantation Ecology: Plants and Animals Re-assemble
• 16. Sustainability in North America
• 17. New Temperate Rainforests: Futures in Ireland and Britain
• Bibliography
• Glossary
• Latin Names