Do trees die from old age? how and why?
In: Biology
Yes, trees have a lifespan. Most are around a century. A balsa tree, for example, has a lifespan of about 30-40 years. They die because their cells cannot repair normal damage to its vascular system quickly enough. That is why if you see a dying tree (trees take years to die) they will look kinda dead but then have new growth leaves year over year. Eventually, even those stop and the tree is dead *dead.* If you are out west, like I am, you want to cut it down when it starts to die. A dying / dead tree is a fire hazard.
A lot of people on this thread are mistaking *continuous growth* for immortality, yes they continue to grow (it is how the vascular system of a tree works) but they also die after a number of years. Trees are not immortal, they will die after ageing. In fact, in many communities where trees aren’t native, the original trees planted when the community was formed (Think Fort Collins in CO) and popularized are now starting to die in large numbers because they are reaching their typical lifespan.
Even people don’t really die of *old age*, rather, conditions that come from old age. Trees are no different.
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