Foresters tend to concentrate on those species which are the easiest to handle silviculturally, and which will produce the greatest volume of generally useful wood in the shortest time. Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.), which is a softwood species from the western seaboard of North America with a range extending from southern Alaska to northern California, is one of the pioneer species in tree breeding. This paper therefore presents the major importance of Sitka spruce in forestry based on the genetic variability of the species and its potential serviceability as a wood material.

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