CHAPTER V 

 THE LIFE HISTORY OF TREES IN THE WOODLOT 



THE life history of a tree growing in the woodlot among 

 other trees differs considerably from one growing alone in the 

 open. A tree growing by itself is not hindered in its natural 

 development. Its crown has freedom to expand in all direc- 

 tions and its roots can spread at will through the soil. It lives 

 as an individual. A tree growing in the forest, on the other 

 hand, has not this freedom of development. Its crown is 

 restricted by the crowns of other trees and its roots must 

 compete for space and food with the root systems of trees 

 growing near it. It is a member of a tree association and its 

 life is modified by the laws governing that association. What 

 these laws are can best be understood by tracing the develop- 

 ment of a stand of timber from infancy to old age through 

 the following stages : 



(a) The seedling stage, the period before the canopy 



closes. 



(b) The period of rapid height growth. 



(c) The period of rapid diameter increase. 



(d) The period of declining vigor in the trees. 



(a) The Seedling Stage. During the seedling stage or 

 the earliest period in the life of a stand of timber the young 

 trees grow as individuals. If the trees have been planted 

 by man they are evenly spaced, possibly 5 or 6 feet apart. 

 If the young stand has been established by seed sown from 

 neighboring trees or from sprouts, the young seedlings will 

 not be so evenly spaced and may in places be more or less 

 bunched together. But in either case each little tree usually 



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