Interestingly, if you're interested in this kind of stuff, there is very little pure white spruce (Picea glauca) or pure Engelmann spruce (P. engelmanni) in BC. What in fact actually takes place - at least throughout most of the interior of British Columbia where the majority of our export lumber is produced - is a hybridisation of the two species. The hybrids have more P. glauca characteristics at low elevations (1500') and tend to more P. engelmanni characteristics at the higher elevations (4000'). And, of course, yet another common name - interior spruce (P. glauca x engelmanni). There's a great PhD dissertation from the University of British Columbia (Roche 1967) that describes this phenomenon .. .. .. the determination of the degree of the crossing is, if I can recall correctly, based upon the size and shape of the cone scales.

But, call it what you may, the spruce from the interior of BC is well respected for its construction qualities - straight, strong, long-lasting. It should serve you well as paddle material - if the piece of lumber is chosen properly.

: I've seen a lot of Englemann Spruce (picea englemanni) locally; pinkish areas
: are a giveaway to identifying this variety.

: Whoa....this site calls Englemann spruce Sitka Spruce. A misnomer, or are
: they one and the same?!

: http://forestry.about.com/library/tree/blenglsp.htm

: "Common Names: Abete di Sitka, British Columbia sitka-spruce, coast west
: spruce, coast spruce, eipcea de menzies, epicea de Menzies, epicea de
: Sitka, epinette de sitka, great tideland spruce, menzies spar, Menzies
: spruce, menziesie, picea de Sitka, picea di Sitka, sequoia silver spruce,
: silver spruce, Sitka spar, Sitka spruce, sitka-fichte, sitkafichte,
: Sitka-gran, sitka-gran, sitkankuusi, sitka-spar, spruces d'america,
: tideland spruce, West Coast spruce

: Habitat: Engelmann spruce is widely distributed in the western United States
: and two provinces in Canada

: Uses: Engelmann spruce is used principally for lumber and for mine timbers,
: railroad crossties, and poles. "

: Shawn