3 Common Ways Trees Can Die
Trees are amazing plants. They add beauty to our homes and the environment. They also improve the ecosystem by cleaning up the air we breathe. Their importance cannot be overemphasized. Like every other living thing, trees die at some point in their life. While they live for many years, they also find themselves in situations that take life away from them. There are damaging agents present in their environment. These damaging agents could target their branches, roots, stems, etc. to make them weak and eventually die. Other factors affect the life of a tree. These factors could be environmental or human. Trees at some point succumb to these disturbing factors and die. Sometimes their death is a result of old age, and other times, it is not.
Below are the common ways that trees die.
1 – Unfriendly Environment: the ground conditions of the trees environment may be completely unfriendly to the tree. Extreme weather conditions can affect trees gradually until they are unable to withstand the effect of such conditions. The impact of an unfriendly environment on trees could be seen during heavy rainfall with strong wind. The impact of the wind can result in the uprooting of trees, or breaking their branches. Unplanned landscape to accommodate erosion, drainage, etc. can also affect the lifespan of trees.
2 – Old Age: Trees outlive man and other living things. A tree can live for more than a hundred years and still stand tall and strong. Age sets in and weakens their resistance and immunity to their environmental conditions. When you notice a tree is dying due to old age, it is best practice to take it down before it falls and cause costly damages to your beloved structure.
3 – Disease and Insects Infestation: research has shown that virulent diseases and chestnut blight are some of the causes of sudden deaths to trees, especially in Northern America. These diseases are subtle in how they eat up trees, thereby making them weak and vulnerable. These diseases infect trees through their leaves, root, stem, or bark wounds causing great damage to the tree if not detected early and treated. Harmful insects like termites are other reasons why trees die suddenly. They can also spread diseases to other trees surrounding the infected tree.
While trees live almost the longest of all living things, they are also susceptible to damaging situations that cause them to die at some point. Their death can come from human or environmental actions. Another reason why trees die includes timber harvesting which amounts to a great number of deaths to the trees, thereby reducing their number drastically. This has caused more death to trees than all three mentions, combined.
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