I had to cut down a tree in my backyard. It was cut low, quite close to the ground. The stump has since sent out 100 new branches, and the former tree now resembles a shrub and continues to grow.
Which got me thinking: when forests are clear cut, why don’t the stumps send out new growth? Why do they need to be replanted?
In: Planetary Science
It’s largely because of the lumber industry. Trees that want to sprout branches all over make for very knotty and thinner lumber, so they plant firs and pines which do not regenerate as easily/often. And if they *do* regenerate, they are doing so in a wide open field which causes the new growth to twist as it chases the moving sun daily. By planting very dense seedlings, they all grow straight up to escape each other’s shadow. Seedlings will often be planted with 6-12″ spacing, but mature trees are 6+ feet apart minimum.
However this is not a trait of conifers in general. The common lumber species are chosen for these properties. Californian redwoods are capable of regenerating from the roots, and much of the old growth that was harvested in the early 1900’s did just so and are now rather enormous having benefitted from centuries old root structures.
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