Picea rubens
Red Pine
The presence of Red Spruce on the Mountain Top greatly distinguishes this area from the nearby Hudson Valley. The cooler temperatures and higher elevations at the Arboretum are in fact much more consistent with the Adirondacks and northern Appalachians. Beyond the Catskills, the largest collection of Red Spruce in New York is found in the Adirondacks. Recent radiocarbon dating of fossilized forest samples in the Arboretum’s Emerald Bog reveals that Red Spruce has been present in the Catskills for 13,900 years. If you compare its needles to fir or hemlock needles, you will notice they are four-sided (vs. fir or hemlock needles which are flat) and roll easily between your fingers.