The bark is reddish-brown and roughened with thick scales.
Twigs also are reddish-brown and somewhat rough.
The cones are the largest of the spruces. In 1987, the Ohio Forestry Association recorded a 90-foot tall specimen of the Norway Spruce in Summit County, Ohio. This tree generally grows taller than its relative, the White Spruce . The Norway Spruce can tolerate a great deal of cold, winter weather. It grows well in a variety of moist soils in temperate habitats that are humid and cool.