Trees must respond to many environmental factors during their development, and light is one of the main stimuli regulating tree growth. Thinning of forest stands by selective tree removal is a common tool in forest management that increases light intensity. However, morphological and anatomical adaptations of individual shoots to the new environmental conditions created by thinning are still poorly understood. In this study, we evaluated shoot morphology (shoot length, needle number, projected leaf area) and anatomy (tracheid lumen area, tracheid number, tracheid dimensions, xylem area, potential hydraulic conductivity) in three Norway spruce (Picea abies/L./Karst.) families exposed to different thinning regimes. We compared shoot characteristics of upper-canopy (i.e. sun-exposed) and lower-canopy (i.e. shaded) current-year shoots in a control plot and a plot thinned to 50 % stand density the previous year. One tree per family was chosen in each treatment, and five shoots were taken per canopy position. We found that upper-canopy shoots in both plots had higher values than lower-canopy shoots for all studied parameters, except lumen roundness and tracheid frequency (i.e. tracheid number per xylem area). Thinning had little effect on shoot morphology and anatomy 1 year after thinning, except for small but significant changes in tracheid dimensions. Needles were more sensitive to altered light conditions, as projected leaf area of shoot, needle number and leaf hydraulic conductivity changed after thinning. Differences between upper- and lower-canopy shoots did not seem to be influenced by thinning and were almost the same in both plots. Our results suggest that lower-canopy shoots require several years to modify their morphology and anatomy to new light conditions following thinning. The slow light adaptation of the lower canopy may be of practical importance in forest management: thinned stands may be predisposed to drought stress because newly exposed shoots experience increased illumination and transpiration after thinning.