J
JamesTX
Guest
Do trees die of old age? If you gave them all the water, nutrients, and sunlight they needed and kept away all pest, would they still die at some point?
sotc
Dormant hero!!
i would think so, like us things just wear out and dont work as effeciently and eventually cant do. at the same time i guess trees put on new leaves, new cambium..... hmm interesting question
Trees undergo senescence.As they age the percentage of living tissue(symplast) in relation to inactive cells(apoplast) becomes smaller. Trees do age and die becasue of it.......Just as humans and animals "die of old age" when various organs cease functioning properly trees can fade away and get clobbered by something that would have been insignificant when the tree was young and had a higher percentage of living cells. However, tree time and tree biology are so different from mammals that the process can be incredibly long, and the exceptionally long lived specimen can outlast its fellows by even greater margins than happens in humans. In some species we don't even know where the limits are-----Bristlecone pines living in really harsh conditions have such a slow senescing process that the live for thousands of years---and are "mostly dead" for much of that time.
sotc
Dormant hero!!
but he said there were none of these bad bugs
SkwerI
Treehouser
A tree with NO bugs? unpossible!!! 
Al Smith
Mac Daddy
Good question .I think it's been said that about every living organism has an expected life span .
For example the red oaks in this region upwards of 300 years ,give or take .Soft maples make it around a hundred but usually it's internal rot that brings them down . They get pretty plump though in a hundred years .
A hundred year old white ash is about 2 feet while a hundred year old soft maple will be over 4 feet . It would take an oak over twice that long to get as plump .
For example the red oaks in this region upwards of 300 years ,give or take .Soft maples make it around a hundred but usually it's internal rot that brings them down . They get pretty plump though in a hundred years .
A hundred year old white ash is about 2 feet while a hundred year old soft maple will be over 4 feet . It would take an oak over twice that long to get as plump .
F
Frans
Guest
How do you define 'die'?
We as humans tend to look at trees and compare them to us. They are not.
A good analogy is comparing a government to a tree.
A tree is a system of disparate parts. As is a government.
Parts of the tree can continue to live after the main body has died.
Take the bristelcone pine, the oldest living tree on earth. Parts, major parts, die, and other parts continue to live.
But, it also depends on species.
These generalized questions cannot be answered because their are always exceptions to the rule.
At best you can come up with a generalized answer which is damm near useless.
For example, a bristlecone pine can live upwards of 3000 years, but other trees live only a fraction of that.
Turtles can live hundreds of years, but a mayfly lives 24 hours, if it is lucky.
So to answer you question: Yes.
Willie, James said "no pests". So even though you and Squishey have to stay away neither you nor bugs would have to be the something that clobber the poor old tree. Even if we define fungi and bacteria as pests there is still the matter of weather events. A storm that would have had no effect on a young tree or would have broken a few branches and the young tree would have recovered can break down a senescent tree to the point it lacks the ability to recover.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
I do find Live Oak interesting in this respect. The original tree (above ground) may die out completely, yet new growth will come from the root ball (what part may survive) and start a new set of trees from the original. Now whether or not the tree died of old age ??? I doubt it, probably more infestation or disease. Maybe change in climate or environment. But they sure are tenacious in the root and often come right back.
But then I doubt that counts as actually dying
But then I doubt that counts as actually dying
sotc
Dormant hero!!
Al Smith
Mac Daddy
Very interesting indeed .Quaking aspen ,locust several others are colonies ,same root system .What dies ,what is considered alive ? Some species of maple will regenerate ,some will not .Depends on the type and age of the tree .
Thanks to Jerry B. I recently learned a redwood can regenerate from the roots .So then in those cases evidently the life could be considered to be in the roots .
treelooker
Treehouser
There is immortality in trees. Some 1000+ years old are still putting on a lot of growth.
It's all in the environment around it--genetically they are programmed to live not die.
There was a fir (?) in Finland found to be way older than the bristlecone.
It's all in the environment around it--genetically they are programmed to live not die.
There was a fir (?) in Finland found to be way older than the bristlecone.
Picea Abies, Norway spruce and it was found in sweden.
Supposedly the harsh climate kept it ( them?) mostly dormant and thus not so susceptible to senescence.
I think that discovery is still " patent pending" though.
Old Monkey
Treehouser
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2005
- Messages
- 8,764
The forest service gives out a coloring and activity book that tells kids to urge their parents to harvest the forest responsible before the trees get old and dangerous.
F
Frans
Guest
What about dormant buds?
Isn't that what they have been doing?
I mean, why else are there only about 5% left of the oldgrowth redwoods.
sotc
Dormant hero!!
Don't cry little buddy. I was just joshing.
haha, starting to sound like the andy griffeth show
Frans, It depends upon species. Some species have lots of dormant buds and break out replacement growth easily-others do not. In most species the numbers of viable dormant buds decrease with age. Bark thickens, dormant buds are "buried" or decrease in number and the ease with which the tree can generate a new top decreases. Besides all of the bad long term consequences of "topping" most of us have seen trees killed by it haven't we? Sometimes the tree doesn't have the starch/sugar reserves to put on a new canopy. It seldom happens with young hardwoods but frequently with mature/overmature ones.
Bust every limb off a pine and what do you have?
Bust every limb off a pine and what do you have?
M
Mr. Sir
Guest
EVERYTHING on earth dies. Some things just take longer than others. The term "old age" is a condition rather than a cause.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
One could also argue that old age is both cause and condition or effect....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senescence
To borrow Stumpers well chosen word from prior post... Well chosen word sir
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senescence
To borrow Stumpers well chosen word from prior post... Well chosen word sir
sotc
Dormant hero!!
adventitious buds 
Old Monkey
Treehouser
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2005
- Messages
- 8,764
You wouldn't want those old senile trees falling on Bambi would you?
