Doesn't that say everything? How can you argue that the climate is different in the same breath that you are saying they are the same?
I'm not aware of Spruces native to WNY or Ohio (if any), so of course they probably need extra care so that they can adapt properly. Around here I only see Spruces in yards, planted as specimen trees or windbreaks, and not in forests (we do have a lot of various pines though), and remember seeing much of the same in suburban Ohio neighborhoods around Cleveland and Columbus. Either way, my disagreement to treevet's response was both a combination of what I had been told by horticulturalists, but also from past experience, observing what happens to Spruce trees when they're in "wet" conditions, aka over-watered (they decline rapidly, turning a nice golden brown color then shedding all their needles). Arborists and horticulturalists alike however do seem to have differing opinions of how to properly water trees (search Google, there are a TON of differences of opinion from one "expert" site to the next), regardless of where they're from, but I've found the "check your soil moisture first" advice to be the best, and that was what I stated in an earlier post. If the soil is already moist underneath the mulch surrounding a tree (whether Spruce, Maple, etc.), is it really a good idea to bust out the hose and soak it with another 10-25 gallons of water? Won't that lead to over-watering issues? Am I wrong in using common sense here?
Regarding climate similarities to WNY, portions of Ohio must get a decent Lake breeze from winds out of the N/NW/NE from time to time? NE Ohio definitely experiences a similar Lake breeze scenario as WNY. Once you're 20-25 miles inland from Lake Erie, it's moderating effects are drastically reduced. I live a good deal to the NE of Buffalo, most of the winds in my area (anything out of the W/WSW) cross the Niagara Peninsula and not the Lake. Lake Erie also keeps Buffalo's temps warmer during the early Winter, until it ices over of course. Either way, it's not a big stretch of the imagination to consider that our climates are quite similar, after all, a lot of your native trees are also native to WNY. I've driven into Ohio dozens of times, I was born/raised in the Southern Tier of WNY which is only a couple hours from Cleveland, so I drove there many times to visit family in the area. One noticeable difference (that was quite obvious) -- there are a lot more open fields in Ohio, whereas WNY (most of NY for that matter) has a lot of forest coverage. Ohio is very flat by comparison to NY (that goes for PA also, which is hilly like NY), different topography without question.
Considering you're a certified arborist, yes, I would consider you an expert on anything tree related (same goes for treevet), doesn't mean I can't question or fact-check your statements. Arborists aren't climatologists or meteorologists anyway, I do have a Meteorology degree from Penn State (not my profession though), so I know a bit about the subject.
I would think any Ohio Arborist would do great in NY, and vice-versa. You're making it sound like Ohio/NY is like comparing Alaska to Florida; I mean, come on, we're only a few hundred miles apart, and certainly have very similar weather patterns throughout the year, though we probably get more snow than you do.