Needle and stem injuries to samples of red spruce were observed from two mountain sites during 1994 and 1995. No visible injuries occurred to any samples prior to fixation and movement to room temperatures. Injuries to mesophyll cells of needles in autumn 1994 resembled ozone injuries to conifers from published reports. Injuries in overwintered samples were correlated with few bark layers in stems and no injuries to transfusion or xylem cells in needles indicating that overwintering injuries in needles were not due to freezing temperatures, but were probably due to ozone injuries in the autumn. These results indicate that high elevation red spruce trees may be negatively impacted by ozone that affects first year overwintering.

Key words: needle and stem injuries, overwintering, ozone, Red spruce