Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens) is a popular landscape tree. It's attractive blue foliage and tolerance of urban conditions are big reasons it's been so heavily planted. Despite this, its true native range is the Rocky Mountains region. Thus, its life expectancy in the Anoka Sandplain is only around 30-40 years.
Although it is a tough tree, it's susceptible to various insect and disease problems. Two common problems include
Rhizosphaera Needlecast and
Cytospora Canker.