Sample has 188 growth rings from the pith to the bark. Red spruce is a non-resinous conifer. The tree’s roots were damaged by construction activity and the southern pine beetle attacked this and other nearby red spruce. The sample was collected in 2000. For more than a century, forest entomologists have known that the southern pine beetle attacked red spruce; however, fewer than 20 forest entomologists have ever seen a southern pine beetle-attacked red spruce and even fewer have held a sample from such a tree. Jim McGraw was fortunate to not only accomplish both but also owns samples of wood from such a SPB-attacked red spruce.

Biologically, this sample is worth at least 10 times more than Sample #1 due to the presence of the pith.