Tree Physiology
Tree growth begins with photosynthesis to produce new wood when the growing season begins.
Infiltration
Crown/leaves – Carbohydrate production
Stem/bole – Support, nutrient/water
transport, waste storage
Roots – Stability and nutrient/water
uptake
Meristems: annual growth can also be seen in the branching patterns of many tree species (esp. conifers)
When we dissect the trunk, we can see this annual incremental growth, both upward and outward.
STEM ANALYSIS
Wood Anatomy and Tree Growth: ________
Tree ring diameter growth
Terminal height growth
Definitions:
Cambium: the growing (generative) layer between the xylem and phloem.
Xylem: principle strengthening and water conducting tissue of the stem, roots, and branches.
Phloem: inner bark, principal function to distribute manufactured foodstuffs.
Bark: dead, outer tissue that protects the cambium from the external
environment and exposure to pathogens and physical injury.
Vessel: the composite, tube-like structure found in hardwoods from the fusion of cells in a longitudinal column.
Fiber: an elongated cell with pointed ends and a thick or infrequently thin wall.
Rays: ribbon-shaped tissue extending in a radial direction across the grain of the wood.
Note the five major portions of the tree trunk.
Phloem (inner bark)
Xylem (wood)
Cambium
Role of heartwood is…?
Role of sapwood is…?
Viewing wood: tangential, radial, and transverse planes. We are only interested in which of these?
Locally Absent Rings
Rings may be locally absent along the length of the tree.
Wood Anatomy and Tree Growth: ________
False Ring
Cells leading into the false ring will gradually decrease in size and then gradually increase back to earlywood cells.
Wood Anatomy and Tree Growth: ________
General Ring Structure
Wood Anatomy and Tree Growth: ________
Tree Identification
Coniferous (Softwood) - Evergreen
Deciduous (Hardwood) - Broadleaf
-Leaves fall off at maturity
-Less conical
-Flat, typically larger leaves
-Vessels
-Aspen, Oaks, Maples, etc.
-Maintains leaves all year
-Strong apical dominance
-Needle-like leaves
-Tracheids
-Pines, Firs, Spruce, etc.
Limber Pine