Did you ever think that maybe that spruce was hit by Spruce Beetle? Hmmm, yup, spruce does have forest health issues as well. On top of that, Mountain Pine Beetle has now decided it loves to eat spruce as well.
Even if that spruce was healthy, what's wrong with that? There is a little thing called 'Economics' that really plays into how and where we log. With the market saturated with pine, that means pine is selling for shit. Supply and demand. Hard to log pine when you loose money just getting it to the landing, let alone truckin it to the mill. With all the Red and Dead that is checked beyond belief, you can barely sell it for pulp. Many licensee's are now targeting other species. In fact, so is the Forest Service.